Beautiful Drama
by fortheloveofawerewolf
Summary: Onyx Meraz finds that she's not the only one on the Quileute Reservation that hides a secret. Her new boyfriend, Collin, is withholding information that could destroy their relationship. Daenarys Winter is new to the res, and one look at Paul has her both irritate and smitten. Two imprint stories woven into one, neither are just your average imprint. Canon compliant.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay technically this is not a new story, I actually already had a lot of it written and published on here, but took it down because I didn't like the way it was going. I'm reposting the old chapters first with a ton of edits, so be prepared because there's a lot of content coming up. I'll try to space out the chapters to be a little more regular, but no promises there. What I have written is already at 38K, which is longer than all of my complete stories, so this will probably be my biggest story overall. I've really loved these characters and their interactions, and I hope you do too!**

**Please enjoy the second debut of Beautiful Drama! **

XxxxX

Outside, the coast was full of leisure craft, speedboats and sailboats. The docks were full and the water was blue, the day was clear and breezy. I left my window open and brought out a large fuzzy cloud-colored blanket, opening up the thick dusty book I found on the shelf.

It's too early to decide if I want to go to the bonfire at Sam's. It seems like it would be fun, but I won't know anyone aside from Emily, and she'll probably be in the kitchen most of the time.

Reia left a few days ago, and I miss her a little, but I'm mostly just glad to have the house to myself. It's still a little odd, though. Mom emailed me to remind me to hire a cleaner at some point so I don't have to worry about keeping the house clean, and Dad sent me a box of perfumes from Singapore. I mostly keep them for the bottles, which are sitting neatly on my dresser. I focused my attention on the book in my lap.

I noticed after awhile that the light was getting worse as the sun went down and figured I should decide about going out now. Bonfires usually start at dusk, right? I sighed, putting in a bookmark and wrapping myself in my blanket cloud. I assume I'll need something cute that won't make me catch a cold, but no swimsuit, since she said it was at her house and not the beach. I settled on a pale yellow lace halter top with dark jeans. I grabbed my purse and keys and headed out to Emily's.

When I arrived, I was taken slightly aback with the amount of hot people there. Well, hot guys. Shirtless hot guys. Lots of them. Everywhere. I tucked my keys into my purse and went into the house to greet Em.

"Onyx, you decided to come!" She grinned from her huge pot of something that smelled good.

"Yeah, I'd never willingly miss out on your cooking," I joked. "Plus, I had nothing planned for tonight, so why not socialize?" She nodded, gesturing for me to leave my purse on the end table with all the other purses.

"Billy wanted to talk to you, now that Reia is back in Africa. You know, just to make sure you're safe and all. He's outside watching those boys try to kill each other." She gestured to the boys all messing around on the front lawn. I nodded, smiling as I left her kitchen.

"Onyx Meraz, I haven't seen you in quite awhile. With Reia gone, are you allowed to go to parties again?" He chuckled when I came up to him. I smiled fondly.

"Yeah, actually. Now I'm allowed to do pretty much anything I want. How are you doing?"

"Can't complain, can't complain. Jake got a girlfriend, and I'm juggling that with Rachel's upcoming wedding, but I suppose there are worse things to be busy with. How have you been?"

"Adjusting. It's sort of weird having to do everything myself without Reia. I guess I'm pretty spoiled, but I'm getting the hang of it." I laughed.

"Yeah, you're a terrible brat," he smiled at me.

"I haven't been a TERRIBLE brat for several years Now, I'm just a normal brat." I told him, grinning back.

"I guess you're right." He nodded in mock seriousness. My attention was rapidly diverted at a yell from the lawn, and I looked over to see one of the guys had scooped up who I can only hope is his girlfriend and is now carrying her into the house over his shoulder. I found myself laughing.

"Oh, you haven't met the new boys, have you?" I shook my head, still watching the shenanigans going on. "There are a few new members of the gang now. Go find Jake, he'll make sure you meet them all." He winked, giving me a gentle shove towards his son.

"Jake," I called as I got closer, neatly dodging a volleyball.

"Onyx?" He jogged over, smiling. I haven't seen him in a couple years, and other than him obviously being more ripped, he hasn't changed much.

"Yeah, hey, what's up?"

"Nothing much, you're allowed outside now?" he joked, crushing me in a bear hug as I let out a wheezy laugh. He pulled back grinning. "Sorry. Yeah, you wanna play? We're almost done with this game."

"Sure, I'm not that good though." I said with a wink. He snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Right.. okay." He went back to his game, his team winning by a landslide. I went over to where they were picking teams.

"Everyone, this is Onyx, Onyx, you remember Paul, Leah, Jared and Quil. These losers are Brady, Seth, Collin and Embry." I nodded as he rattled off names and pointed to each.

Everyone waved, grinning, and I got out on a team with Leah, Quil, Jared and Collin. I'd spent several years on the res by now, but the last few had been spent mostly indoors while Reia 'homeschooled' me. She basically gave me all the home ec I could possibly want, and made sure I spent plenty of time studying after school every day. She was very strict, but I find myself missing the structure she brought to my life. I'd been friends with a few of the guys and Leah, but hadn't seen much of them recently.

I took my place next to Leah, a little surprised when she blatantly ignored me. I made a mental note to get on her good side, she's one of the people you want on your team. She seems very different from when I was friends with her. Seth, on the other team, served and we broke into action. It took a few seconds to kick into game mode, but while I was getting going, I watched my team's powerful hits. I wasn't surprised with the guys, since they LOOK so strong, but I was impressed with Leah. She has a ferocity that's hard to ignore. When we scored a point, I turned to her.

"You're a better player than all these beefcakes," I said, putting my fist out. She actually grinned, bumping her knuckles against mine.

"Damn straight."

I grinned back, and we launched back into the game. I let loose my favorite moves, smirking when both teams looked shocked at the little girl in skinny jeans and yellow lace getting point after point. Only Jake knew that I used to play volleyball competitively, and he groaned when he saw I hadn't forgotten how to play. While we were waiting for them to retrieve the ball that went out of their court, I felt a hand on my shoulder. A very hot hand, it almost felt fevered. I turned to see Collin behind me with a small smile on his face. I smiled back, taking note of his bright green eyes, a color that's pretty rare here. His smile faltered for only a second before he started talking.

"You're really great, where did you learn to play?"

"I used to play tournaments in junior high." I explained. "I don't know if that's cheating or whatever, but only Jake knew." He nodded, laughing a little.

"Jake's team usually wins, so it's nice that he's losing for a change."

I laughed.

"I will gladly kick his butt anytime." Collin laughed, and we returned our attention to the game. I didn't miss the taunting face thrown at Collin by Leah.

{Collin POV}

I caught Leah's knowing look, hoping my blush wasn't as dark as it felt.

I tried to focus my attention on the game, but it kept going back to Onyx. Because of my distraction, I almost missed two shots, although thankfully, Onyx was nearby so if I hadn't gotten them, she probably would have. The other team noticed this, and served in my direction more, so I went into intense game mode to shut distractions out of my mind. Quil scored us the winning shot and we all yelled our triumph. Jake looked annoyed as he went to find Ness, and Zoe jumped on Seth's back from behind, kissing down his neck noisily. I made a face and turned to go into the house. I jumped when Leah jabbed me in the ribs from behind.

"Hey, look at the idiot who jumped on the imprint bandwagon. Don't screw it up, monkey." She grinned at me. I've gotten along with Leah better than most of the other guys do, and I think it's because we're both pretty private people and don't need to talk when we're around each other. It's nice.

"Don't tell anyone please?" I look at her, and she gives me a wink before walking away. I sigh in relief.

I went into the house, dropping into my corner to finish the plans for the project my mom dumped on me for our yard. Emily smiled at me as she passed through to the put food outside, setting Sam and Billy up as guards. I tried not to think about Onyx, so that I wouldn't overthink and end up creeping her out. I need to watch myself because although I know I can't live without her, she doesn't know that, and it would be weird to explain it so suddenly. I engulfed myself in obsessing over how import it is that I don't obsess, only stopping when Emily told me it was time to eat. I jumped up to get a plate before the pack takes everything.

Onyx sat with Emily and Sam, talking politely with them, although I could tell she wasn't really comfortable. She probably wants to talk to a girl her age, or maybe not talk at all. Maybe she's an introvert like me and she's tired. I smiled at the thought that she might not need constant conversation to hang out.

Through the end of the night, she talked less and less, eventually hugging Em goodbye and sighing in relief when she grabbed her purse. She got into her – admittedly very nice – car and left. I dropped my head into my hands. I had one awkward conversation with her, and now she's gone and I have no idea when I can see her again. Damnit! I sighed heavily before leaving the party too, going down to the beach to swim for awhile to calm myself down and take my mind of it. As I headed home, I mentally prepared a plan of action to gradually get Onyx used to me.

Maybe this could work out okay after all, all I have to do is not screw everything up, right?

**Thank you so much for reading! It would mean the world to me if you would leave a review! You don't need an account, and it takes like 2 minutes. I'm working on the next chapter now so I'll be trying to incorporate any suggestions into the upcoming posts. Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see! **

**We'll meet Daenarys and Paul soon;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**One more chapter to kind of get to know Onyx and Collin before Daenarys is introduced! Let me know what you think of the story so far!**

{Collin POV}

I found her laying on the beach the next day, face down, I'm assuming to get a tan on this rare sunny day. I didn't notice until I got closer... she's topless. Wearing nothing but a pair of skimpy little bikini bottoms. I mean, that makes sense, who wants white stripes on their nice tan bod. Still... why does she have to be so tempting?

"Hey Onyx?" I say, not intending for it to sound like a question. I'm already screwing this up… She sat up, leaning on her elbows.

"Yeah, that's me. Sorry, your name is..." she snapped her fingers. At least she remembers that she met me…

"Collin." If she doesn't remember my name, then she probably doesn't remember how awkward I was, right?

"Right. Collin, sorry. I met a lot of people last night. Wait, what time is it?" She asked, squinting up at the sky.

"It's around 5ish," I say, checking my phone. "It's 5:20."

"Oh shit… I need to get home. My show is on soon." She starts to get up, being careful to keep her hair over her chest – which I do appreciate.

"Do you want me to drive you home? It's going to get dark pretty soon." I offer, hoping she'll take me up on it.

"I live just over that way," she gestured to the hill with the rich people houses on it. I stifle my reaction. "Wanna walk with me up there?"

"Absolutely. Um… I might have a t-shirt or something in my car, wanna check?" I feel my face heat up as I address the elephant on the beach.

"Okay, but if you don't, it's no biggie." She said, leaning down to brush the sand from her skin. I bit my lip, trying to look away, but I couldn't tear my eyes off her. Curse this imprint making me a horny pervert…

"Kay, let's go," she faced me, the gentle breeze blowing most of her hair back, intent on taunting me. I realized she was waiting for me to show her to my car.

"After you..." I gestured in the direction of my car. She grinned and started walking in front of me. I forced myself to keep my eyes on her face rather than her long, long legs, or her pale pink hair covering her- Collin! Don't even start thinking about the tips of her hair brushing the smooth skin over her hip bones, damn! Her hair is long! or the visible patch of skin over her flat stomach... or her toned thighs... I'm a lost cause.

Her body is so fit that Zoe would be jealous. I tried to ignore all this to focus on her words as we got to the parking lot.

"Which one is yours?" I pointed to my most prized possession, a shiny green Volkswagen. She smiled as she took in my pride.

"Bought and repaired yourself?"

"Yeah... she was a piece of crap when I found her, but I fixed her up."

"I'm guessing you're into cars and mechanics?" I nodded, unlocking the car and opening the trunk to look for clothing of any kind. Most of the stuff in there was to repair the car, or the bikes, or basically anything in the world that could possibly break. I finally found an old shop jacket, stained with grease and oil from back when I used to protect my clothes from those things. Back when I used to wear shirts... I saw Onyx had gone around the side of the car to sit on the backseat, and my breath caught in my throat as I came up to her. She'd put all her hair behind her shoulders and sat giving me an unrestricted view of her chest. She looked up at me.

"What?" She asked. Does she honestly not know how little control I have? I dropped the jacket in her lap and covered my eyes. I feel like a pervert, I can't be thinking about her like this.

"I'm sorry, um... here, sorry it's not clean."

"I-okay..." She touched my forearm, and I didn't react... outwardly. She put her hand on my bare side and it occurred to me she wanted me to look at her. I took away my hand from my face. She had the jacket on and was getting up, so I backed away from the car a little.

"Sorry, I kinda forgot." She said, a faint blush coloring her dark skin. I nodded. I'm so ashamed that I can't even look at her.

"I'm so sorry, Onyx. You're gorgeous, and I'm really... yeah…"

"No worries, we all have our own styles and what we're used to. I lived in Africa for a long time, so I guess a lot of their habits came with me." She tied the bottom corners in a knot over her stomach.

"Africa?"

"Yeah, a tribe in Uganda. That's where I met Reia, who was my caretaker slash housekeeper a few years after I moved here. She didn't like me to go to parties a lot, but she moved back there a couple weeks ago. I miss her, but she missed her people too."

"Oh, got it. So now that she's gone, you're kind of... on your own?"

"Yeah, basically," she smiled.

We walked in silence as the sun set and it got darker. Everything was calm and peaceful here. There was nobody around, just me and Onyx, walking up the dozens of steps to what I'm assuming is her house.

"You know what? You do you, Onyx. You don't have to wear that thing if you don't want to." She looked at me sideways, one eyebrow raised. As I thought about it more, I got more embarrassed at having made her cover herself up.

"If you're comfortable being topless, who am I to stop you? It's not my place to control what you do because I can't control myself. Besides, I'm half-naked too, I'm a huge hypocrite." She laughed and nodded, taking off the jacket and handing it back to me.

"We need more guys like you in the world."

It was mostly dark out, but I could still see her flawless figure.

"You have..." I put my hand carefully on her shoulder to turn her. "You have some grease on your back..." I wiped the smear of car grease off her smooth skin, breathing heavily as I realized I'm touching her naked back.

"Thanks." She smiled, examining her chest to make sure she had no more there. I tried to look away, I really did. She smirked at me.

"I'm working on it…" My voice was quiet and husky. Her hand found mine. I squeezed it softly. Yes, I want her, and would leap at any chance she gave me. But as her imprint, my first job is to protect her, and right now, I have to protect her from me. I have to wait. We went up the last few stairs to the patio, and I walked with her to her door.

"So quiet, Collin." Her voice broke my concentration and I, like I always do, said the first thing on my mind.

"Good things come to those who wait." What the... She laughed nodding.

"I mean, I guess. You're pretty okay, Collin." She stepped up onto her porch, turning back towards me. Lifting her hand, she traced my collarbone with a feathery touch. I went weak in the knees. It felt so intimate.

"I haven't decided what I think about your friends, but you're okay in my book." She smiled. Gosh her smile...

"Thanks. Means a lot coming from your lips." She tilted her head to the side.

"And why's that?" Isn't it obvious?

"Because you're confident, smart and beautiful. If you're cool with me, I'll be around a lot more often."

"I can't say I mind you being around a lot more." Her fingers went to the stupid dimple that made an appearance every time I smile. I took her finger and held it to my lips. I inhaled her scent, wondering how she could possibly smell so fantastic.

"You're intoxicating, my dear." I kiss her finger before taking it down from my face.

"For someone so ridiculously adorable and awkward, you're really good at romantic. Words are your thing." She cupped her hand under my chin and brought it closer to her face, her lips near my ear as she whispered,

"Goodnight, Collin." She kissed my temple and let go, slowly turning around and disappearing behind her front door. I sighed, waving awkwardly after she was gone, being the moron that I am.

**[Leave me a review plsss]**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so I lied, I'm posting everything now before I forget or get too busy. Here's the next chapter, Dae is pronounced "day."**

{Dae POV}

The airplane was cramped and the air was dry. My feet were being squished beneath my carry-on, which was just a little too tall to fit underneath the seat in front of me. The woman in the seat beside me was leaning on my shoulder snoring. If she didn't talk incessantly when she wasn't sleeping, I would have woken her up. My mom wasn't able to find two seats next to each other, and the closest one was three rows back.

I am not happy, and my current position wasn't helping. We're moving to Washington to live with my uncle Jay; we move around a lot, this time is from Michigan. I hate that we keep leaving, I really want to just settle down.

The one thing I was looking forward to was spending some time with my uncle, my mom's brother. He visits us often, but we never get to really have a good time before he has to leave again. One day when I got back from school, I found my mom on the phone with him, a big smile on her face, with a few tears rolling down her cheeks. She said, "Thank you so much, Jay. I'll let her know and we'll get packed. She'll be so happy."

So here I am, getting off my plane from Michigan to Seattle, Washington to live with my mom and uncle.

"Winters! Lilly, Dae!" I looked around, trying to find the source of the shouts. I quickly spotted my uncle's head and shoulders above the crowd. I picked up my bag and started working my way towards him, my mom following just behind me.

"Hi, uncle Jay. Thanks for inviting us," I said, wondering what it would be like to live with a man in the house. It's only ever been me and my mom. He smiled, the corners of his eyes wrinkling up. I noticed how much older he was than the last time I'd seen him.

"Of course! I think your mom was getting too settled in, needed another move, don't you think?" He winked at me. My mom is notorious for only staying in any place for a little while before moving again, usually to a different state.

I nodded, laughing a little. I love Uncle Jay, and I think this will be good for all of us.

"Lills, welcome home, let me get your checked bags and then we can head out."

Home. What did that word mean now? I didn't think that anywhere was going to seem like home for a long time. But while these thoughts were going through my head, we had gotten through the windy, wet air and packed all our suitcases and stuff in the trunk. Uncle Jay started the car, and we drove to La Push, Washington: my new home.

My light skin in stark contrast against the tanned teens around me. It's always been odd to me that such a sunless place can have such dark people. It's from their roots on the plains, before they were all collected together onto this damp reservation. Uncle Jay was close friends with Billy Black, who is on the Quileute counsel, and although he is technically white, he blended into the natives with his dark tan. I would have to work hard to get my skin that dark without getting a healthy share of skin cancer.

When we arrived at the house, I was surprised. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting everything to look exactly the same. It was like time stood still in this little piece of the world. We dumped our stuff in the two spare rooms Uncle Jay had cleaned out and put beds in. I was glad I wouldn't be sharing a room with anyone, I value my private space. I still don't know how my uncle could afford such a big house, whenever my mom would ask, he'd just say it's a thank you from Billy.

My room's walls will need to be decorated, though. Maybe I can befriend an artist at school to do a small mural for me. That would be ideal, and they would probably appreciate the larger canvass.

Project 1, unpack. Project 2, breathe some life into this room. Project 3, make this room mine. When will all of these get done? Who knows. We may even move out before then. But those are still my personal projects.

XxxxX

The next day at school, I wasn't particularly interested in anything the teachers had to say, even though I'm usually a good student. I wrote down whatever I picked up, but I only used half a page rather than 2.

Homework will be a struggle. I was very glad when the bell rang after last period and I left. My mom was still out, she's working as a housekeeper for a wealthy family that have their daughter living in a house by herself? That seems like a bad idea, but hey, she's their kid. I decided to drive down to La Push beach. It's been awhile since I've seen the actual ocean instead of a lake. There were a few kids on the beach, so I drove a little farther. I hopped out of the car and ran down to the waves in bare feet. It was a little startling to see people jumping off cliffs into the ocean below, but they look like adults, I figure they know what they're doing. I rolled up the cuffs of my pants before walking to the water's edge. It was quiet and peaceful with the water just hitting the shore; I felt like I could be perfectly happy just sitting around here all day.

But nothing is ever that simple. There I sat, soaking up the surrounding calm, when I heard laughter. Boys. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back just a little, hoping to look like I was meditating or something, just to make them pass me by. They were definitely headed my way. I was perfectly still. The laughing stopped. I didn't move. Nothing around me moved. Finally I opened my eyes and looked around, thinking they went the other way. I started a little when I saw them, but thankfully managed to turn it into a fluid movement. There they were. Big, brown, shirtless boys. Yay.

"We don't mean to intrude." One of them held up his hands, politely stepping back.

"Thank you," I said, hoping my cold tone meant stay away. I hate boys. I hate men and I hate boys. They were so out of control with their lusts and desires and it wasn't rare for me to fall prey to them. My uncle was the sole exception to this rule: the perfect picture of a gentleman. So the last people on earth I want to befriend is a group of rowdy shirtless boys.

They were still there. One of them staring into my face intently. He wasn't close enough for me to see what he was looking at. His friends were watching him cautiously.

"Have you never before seen a girl? Or is it my white skin blinding you?" I say rudely.

"No! Sorry, we'll leave. Paul-"

"No." I heard him say very quietly, turning to the guy next to him. "I'm gonna talk to her." He almost whispered.

"I can hear you."

The spokesman said sorry again with his eyes, and all but Paul left. He came up and sat down beside me, offering a smile.

"Hi, I'm Paul Lahote."

"Hi Paul."

"What's your name?"

"Amy." No way am I giving a random dude my real name.

"Nice to meet you, Amy. What brings you to this beach?"

"It's relaxing. I don't like people." I say as harshly as I can. He ignores my tone and continues.

"I like coming down here to think and straighten my thoughts out. It's a nice comforting silence."

"Yep."

"You like the quiet?"

"Yep."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"Yep."

"Kay." He stood quietly. I don't feel bad at all for being so rude. Wait... Nope. No, I don't.

"Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime. Seeya, Amy."

"Bye."

He left. Well, now I'm in the silence again. But now, there's something dirty about it, like I kicked people out just because I want something. Now I can't enjoy it. Stupid boys ruined my beach.

I grabbed my bag and went back to my car, dusting off my pants on the way. I picked my mom up from the girl's house.

"I can't believe they have their 18 year old living alone. Ridiculous... A girl needs a family."

"She's just there by herself all the time?"

"Mhm. She has a few friends that come every now and then, but they're mostly parasite girls. You could come with me sometime and meet her, she's a nice girl. A little... neglected, she has no idea how to dress but she's very smart and respectful. So what did you do at the beach?"

"Ugh, I still have sand everywhere, don't I?" We both laughed.

"I just sat around until it was time to get you."

"Did you meet anyone, or was the beach just empty?"

"It was empty for the most part. Well, the area I went to was. I had to go a little farther than the biggest part though."

"Who did you meet? Spill, you're frowning."

"Some guys were walking around. Only one introduced himself. They were really big. The guy's name was Paul."

"Paul? Really? Our neighbor has a nephew named Paul, I haven't met him yet. Her name is Ava Lahote."

"Paul Lahote, that's the bitch." I grumble. "I hope they mind their own business."

"Honey I know you've been hurt by men in the past, but there are some very nice men out there."

"Yeah, like dad? I've never even met him. You were assaulted and raped by a random dude in an alley, then I had almost the exact same thing happen to me. I could've had an accident baby just like you did, and I was only 16. I could've had a little girl who would never meet a man she should call Daddy." I spewed bitterly. It's not often, but sometimes the facts smack me in the face and I get angry about our situation.

"I'm so sorry, Dae. I wish so often that you had a dad. My dad was such a sweet man. I wish he was still around. You would've loved him so much. I hope that living with your uncle will help you see that not all men are bad." I had once again made my mother cry.

"Mom... Mom. It's okay. We'll be fine, we're two girls starting brand new. New state, new town, new house, new neighbors. Again."

That didn't seen to comfort her much, and I wasn't feeling the tears. So I just let the silence hang in the air between us. When we got home, I got out and she slid over to the driver seat.

"I'm meeting with Ava in town for some shopping, do you want to come?"

"Nah. I have homework to do."

"Okay. See you later, gator."

"Bye mom." I rolled my eyes as she shut the door and drove off. I went inside.

I wasn't sure what to do when the phone rang. I didn't know anybody... But I guess this is my house too now, so I picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, is this Lilly or Daenarys Winter?"

"Daenarys speaking. Who is this?"

"This is Bev, from Colorado! Remember me?"

"Oh my gosh, Bev! What have you been up to? And how did you get my number?"

"Well I was looking through my address book from when we were little, and I found a collection of your old numbers. I called the most recent one, and they gave me the number you gave them in case anyone ever called for you!"

"Wow that's crazy! I'm so glad I did that, I thought of that right as we were driving away. How've you been?"

"Busy, I graduated early, you know, so now I'm working on college apps. I'm taking this year off school though, so I can scrape together a little money for tuition."

"Wow, what am I doing with my life?" I laughed.

"Oh stop... Your artwork is still up in the study hall of junior high. Remember that?"

"Yeah, that was mortifying. They just told me my work was 'so impressive' they were going to display it. I had no say..."

"You really could've charged them..."

"I know, I should have..."

We talked for hours, catching up on the years that had passed since I was in Colorado, the state before Michigan.

Finally we said goodbye and hung up. I was disappointed. I had thought that talking to an old friend would bring me back to my usual self. But it didn't. In fact, I felt even more brain dead than before. It must be this dismal weather.

I sat down at my desk and started my homework.

**Thoughts? Questions? Please leave me a review with them! **


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter gets more fun, I hope you enjoy it!**

{Onyx POV}

Collin walks me home every day after school, and when it rains, he drives me. I've come to really enjoy hanging out with him.

I'm also adjusting to having Mrs. Winter, who keeps telling me to call her Lilly, although I probably never will, come to clean my house and cook and stuff. It makes my life easier, but I know she doesn't like how I dress and she keeps hinting at me wearing more shirts and bras. For the most formative years of my life, the women around me didn't really wear anything on top, and I've always thought it was a lot more comfortable. I wear at least a shirt when I go out, there are laws here, but around my house, I don't see how it could possibly make a difference. My house is pretty remote anyway.

Today, Collin had stayed to read his history homework, and I'm working on an essay. We aren't saying much, only commenting infrequently if we find something funny. I look up.

"Can you read that out loud in an English accent?" I ask, a half-smile already present at the thought.

"What? Any particular reason why?" He asked, laughing.

"Yeah, I want to see if you can do an English accent."

"Um, okay? Napoleon led his armies through Europe, conquering-" He stopped when I started laughing, looking playfully hurt. "I thought that was pretty good."

"It was, it was," I assure him. "It just is funny to hear."

"Hm, I thought British accents were supposed to be cool and sexy." He said a little shyly, still in his accent.

"Yeah, it is." He raised an eyebrow at me dubiously. "No like seriously, like you could say meatloaf and onions and it would sound sexy."

"Meatloaf and onions." He tries. I smile.

"See?"

"That didn't sound sexy." He protests.

"Yeah, it totally did. Say something else." I suggest, putting my laptop away. He cleared his throat.

"You, lady, are ravishing. I would be telling an untruth were I to say I would not love to kiss your lovely face." He says, his voice taking on a deeper tone that I find extremely attractive. I can feel the color coming to my face as he finishes, extending a hand towards me. I take it, leaning forward as he rests his other hand behind my ear, drawing my face closer. His lips brushed my cheekbone, moving near my ear. "You're blushing, my dear." He whispered, making my blush deeper. He laughed lowly, leaning back again to look into my eyes. I blinked slowly, touching his cheek and feeling how he leaned into my hand before moving my hand upward, above his brilliant green eyes. They closed at my touch.

"Your eyes are green." I mention quietly. One eyebrow went up although his eyes were still shut.

"Yeah, they are." He confirms, although it wasn't really a question. I smile, stroking the downcast lashes framing those eyes.

"I would kill for your eyelashes," I giggle, moving my hand away as his eyes shoot open to look at me. He puts my hand back to his cheek, holding it there.

"But yours are beautiful. They're so flirty and cute." He says. I roll my eyes. "I'm not just saying that."

"I know you're not, but I mean..." I lift my hand to touch them again. "They're so pretty." I laugh at my choice of words as he grimaces.

"Pretty?"

"Yeah, you have pretty eyes." I say with a huge smile. He laughs too, batting them at me.

"Mm, you want me now, huh." He teases, pursing his lips at me. I laugh, leaning back into my chair.

"I'll tell you what I want - pizza." I pulled out my phone, scrolling through my apps to find the nearest delivery place. "What do you want?"

"I'll eat whatever you don't finish." He says, dogearing the corner of his book and closing it. I order us a combo and bread sticks.

"I'll fight you for the last piece." I tease.

"Bring it, have you taken martial arts at some point too?" He laughs.

"Of course I have," I tell him, "I'm stereotypically Asian, I've taken martial arts and piano lessons for years. Also, I live by myself, how do you think my parents sleep at night."

"Really, what kind?"

"Kung fu, mainly. I've tried a few types." I stand. He gets up too, grinning.

"That's cool. You could probably beat me. I just use brute force." He shrugs.

"Hm, now I really want to try." I laugh, grabbing his hand to pull him onto the back patio so we don't destroy anything.

"Oh no, do I redeem my manliness or do I play fair?" He laughs, pulling off his shirt dramatically and tossing it aside. I raise my eyebrows. He colors, "Oh no, you're not gonna-" I grin, whipping off my own tee, putting my hands on my hips as his breathing gets shallower. "Come on, that's not fair!" He protests weakly.

"What, you took off yours." I counter. It's been awhile since the last time I was topless around Collin. I usually make sure I have something on just so he's more comfortable.

"But I don't care if you touch me... here." He gestures to his chest. "That would be so wrong if I did that to you."

"And wearing a shirt changes that?" I challenge. He frowns, shaking his head.

"I-I guess not... Okay, now the odds are really against me. Kay, give me your best," He laughs at something in his head. "Don't worry about hurting me."

"What, you don't think I can?"

"No, I don't doubt that you could probably put me in the hospital if you wanted to. But I-" He considers his words, "I tend to heal pretty fast. I'll be fine." I take a fighting stance and watch as he tries awkwardly to copy me.

"That's a bad position for you to take." I tell him, lining myself up. "Because you're much taller than me, and-" I sweep his dominant foot and drop to the ground to sit on his chest. "It puts you in an unbalanced position. If you're closer to the ground, aka short like me, that's not so much of a problem." I explain as I grip his forearm to secure him before patting his shoulder and getting off him. He stood, laughing.

"You've got this down to a science." I nod.

"Yeah, pretty much. For someone your size, a more solid stance like this," I show him, "would be more effective. That way I can't just sweep you down." I retake my original stance as he takes the one I just showed him. I grin as he watches for my next attack. I fake a blow to his stomach while moving to hook my leg around his, swinging myself around and onto his back.

"Very vulnerable position right now," I continue, my legs now around his waist and chest pressed against his back. I put my arm around his neck in a headlock. "Never let your opponent get behind you, you won't be able to see their next move." I hear his breathing get heavier and his skin got even hotter than it usually is. I jumped off, taking a breath myself before going back around to face him. He was very pink, and I grinned.

"Come on, you haven't even done anything," I pant. He growls - yeah, that's a good description - and scoops me up, one hand behind my knees and the other around my shoulders.

"This is what I call brute force. You just grab them." He tells me, his eyes dancing.

"Well, I wouldn't know how to combat that," I reply with my eyes comically wide. "Except that it's super easy to escape this hold." I wrap my arm around his neck and shoulders, kicking my feet away from his arms and ducking below his grasp. He tried a few more times to catch me but I evaded him, eventually getting behind him again and jumping onto his back, this time just barely letting my chest brush against him. He let out a sort of groan, his hands automatically hooking around my legs to keep me in place.

"You let me get behind you again," I remind him. He doesn't respond, but I can feel his unsteady breath. "Collin?"

"Hang on, I'm trying-" He said huskily, taking another deep breath. "I'm sorry, Onyx..." He let go of my legs and I jumped off again, breathing hard from my evasion. He had his eyes closed tightly, his chest rising and falling with every breath as I'm sure mine is as well. I stepped a little closer and squeaked when, in one lightening movement, his arms wrapped around my waist and shoulders in an unbreakable hold. He had my back pressed against his chest, one arm across the very top of my chest and the other pressing my backside against his hips, although I'm pretty sure that was just to keep me securely in place. Still, it was pretty convenient for me.

He whispered in my ear, "And I have a tip for you, never let your guard down." He kissed the tip of my ear, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

It was a dirty move, I know, but I can't stand losing. It was more of an instinctual escape than a thought-out strategy. I hmmed softly, arching my back and pressing my ass into his hips more, moving against him just the tiniest bit. He groaned out loud and his grip loosened just a little, but enough that I could slip from his grasp, and step a few feet away. He hadn't moved from where I left him, and I watched him cautiously. He and I were both panting when he finally opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Collin. I wasn't thinking." I apologized weakly, fully aware of my bright cheeks. My excuse sounded bad, even to me. But Collin shook his head, smiling a little.

"No, it's okay, I'll just accept the fact that I'll never win against you." His face and neck were still rosy as he held his hand out to shake mine. I put my hand in his warily. He shook it, lifting it up to kiss it.

"Well played, Meraz. Well played." He said. I smiled sheepishly as I went to grab our shirts from where we had tossed them. It was getting dark and although that probably won't bother him, I'm already getting goosebumps.

"Are you cold?" He asked, pulling his tshirt back over his head as a shiver ran down my spine.

"A little." I admit.

"We can go inside if you want," he came closer, wrapping me into his arms and spreading that insane heat into me.

"Why are you always so hot?" I finally ask.

"Uh, what?"

"You are always... well, for me, it would be feverish. Your temperature." I explain, pressing my hand to his neck. He shrugs, looking away.

"I just am, I guess."

Something tells me that's not the whole story, maybe it's the way he won't meet my eyes.

"You're not sick, are you?"

"Nope, healthy as a horse. I wouldn't be here if I was, I might give it to you, and we wouldn't want that."

"Right." I say dubiously, letting it go since he obviously doesn't want to tell me.

"Oh the pizza!" I gasped, leaving his arms as I saw the delivery boy pull up. I grab my wallet from my purse that I left on the couch and went to meet him.

"Onyx Meraz?" He asks. I nod, paying him and taking our food.

"Pizza." I grin, passing Collin and heading into the house.

We sat down and dug in, getting pizza grease and sauce everywhere.

"So how do you know everything about everyone and yet nobody knows a thing about you?" He asks me between bites of breadstick.

"I listen, but I don't talk that much in school and stuff." I explain.

"They don't come up and talk to you?"

"Not really, I think I intimidate a lot of people because I dress weird and I live by myself." I tell him as I take another bite of pizza.

"You don't really dress weird, you just sometimes don't dress."

"I have to agree with you there, I don't think I dress weird. And I rarely go anywhere without a shirt." He laughs.

"Yeah, it's only happened a couple times since I met you. I think I'm finally getting used to that. But I still don't get these." He points to the chain circling my thigh, one of many body chains I like to wear. "Like how does that stay up, is it hooked around your leg or your waist or... it seems like that would be really uncomfortable and... I'm really confused about that." He finishes chuckling. I laugh too.

"You wanna see?" I pretend like I'm going to take off my shorts and he colors darkly, hand darting out to stop me.

"Don't worry, I have underwear on," I tease, sitting back down. "No, it's attached to a cord that sits here." I point to my hips. I peel down the waistband of my shorts to show him. He nods solemnly.

"Mystery solved, thank you." I roll my eyes.

"Anyway, so most people don't approach me and the bitches and assholes that have tried to slut-shame me I shut down awhile ago. Reia taught me to be savage." I say frankly.

"Slut-shame you? It's not like you ever... go home with anyone or whatever, though, right?" He asks, waving his breadstick around in circles trying to convey his meaning.

"No, of course not. I'm not a slut." I retort, sitting back into the couch and pulling my blanket closer around my shoulders.

"I know you're not. You're a classy, confident young woman." He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand.

"Hm. Really. That's what you think." I said, nonchalantly, taking another bite.

"Yeah, I know because you're tasteful and stylish about everything you do."

"What else do you think you know about me?" I ask, smiling.

He took a deep breath, before saying, "I think you like me. Just a little."

My hand froze, mid-bite. I mean… I do, but I'm not prepared to talk about that right now…

"Even if you don't realize it," he continued. I shoved my slice into my mouth and practically threw another at him to make him stop talking.

"Here, have another slice of pizza!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Get to know Dae a little better in this chapter, she's a little difficult in the beginning, but I think you'll warm up to her. Let me know what you think of her and Paul!**

{Dae POV}

The sky was clear, oddly enough, on the way to school. I groan out loud as I realized I might see those big guys from the beach there. Their faces looked young, but they were tall and muscular, so I'm sure if they're even in school at all. I am not looking forward to seeing Paul Lahote. He was probably the most irritating, because he actually wanted to talk to me, when the others just moved on, apparently turned off by the little white girl with the temper. I parked my car in the school lot and enjoyed the rare sun as I walked to my first class. Geometry. The worst part is that I'm not starting school at the beginning of the year, I'm starting halfway through. It's my third day back in La Push, and I've already missed the first several weeks of class.

To my utter dismay, two of the big guys were there. They smiled at me from the back where they lounged. They looked nice, in a menacing way. I half-smiled back at them. However, I was glad Paul wasn't with them. I decided to keep my distance and sit towards the front.

I only saw Paul once during the day, and he looked directly at me, but made no signs that he recognized me. Good. Maybe he got the message and will leave me alone. We don't have any classes together either, which I've realized rules out the possibility of being conveniently partnered on a project.

I don't see him, or have any weird encounters for the next couple of weeks, and get no special treatment from the other monstrous kids, who tend to get in trouble often due mostly to their clowning around in class. I had all but forgotten about Paul when I was browsing the library, looking for something to read in my copious amounts of spare time. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something big and brown. I glanced over to see him there. Pretending he didn't know I was here. I don't know why he's so... Hostile. Like he wants to talk to me but resents the air that I breathe. He was friendly enough on the beach, I wonder what changed. He stayed for a few seconds more, then walked briskly around the corner. I continued my search. This library has some interesting titles. "Swashbucklers," "Down the River and Back Again." "Shadows of the Moon." It looked like about wolves or something. I added it to my already massive stack of books.

I got so carried away reading it that I let out a yell of surprise as the lights went out. Why would the lights go out? I was sufficiently freaked out by the book and the mood that it put me in, so you can imagine my yelp as I ran into something hot and hard. Get your mind out of the gutter. It's a person. He apparently heard me and came to see if I was okay? The jury's still out on that one.

"Hi?" I ask, trying to figure out if it's someone I know.

"Hey. Um. You okay?" Damnit, it's Lahote.

"Yeah sorry. Just kinda caught me off guard." I say crossly.

"Must be a power out, it's dark outside, too." He gestured to the large windows with raindrops sliding down.

"So... I guess we're kinda stuck here? How long do these usually last?"

"About half an hour usually. Sometimes more. You okay? You seem kinda... Majorly freaked out."

"I was reading a freaky book, and it felt real for a second there."

Paul looked at the book in my hand, although how he could see anything in the darkness is beyond me. He snorted in disgust.

"Shadows of the Moon? Come on."

"What, you've read it?"

"Read and regret it. It's one of the worst books I've ever read."

"It's basically every teen drama ever."

"Exactly, I don't know why anyone would buy it. Apparently, it has a huge Tumblr fan base, though."

"You have Tumblr?" I find this unexpectedly hilarious. He scoffed.

"Of course not. A friend of mine has it. She uses it literally all day every day. It's ridiculous."

"Huh... Okay. Well, what now?"

"We wait."

"And just hang around until the lights come back?"

"Do you have somewhere else you need to be?"

"Yeah, my phone died and I need to pick up my mom from work."

"Well then, you planning on taking those books? Because the register won't be working and you can't take them without checking out."

"Crap, you're right. I'll wait then, but only half an hour."

"Okay."

"My name is Daenarys, by the way."

"I thought you said it was Amy."

"I did. But it's Daenarys."

"Why would you lie?"

"You're a gigantic man, randomly talking to me on the beach. Why would I give you my real name? I didn't even know if you were in school, you look like you could be 25."

"Huh. Okay, I guess that makes sense."

"I haven't exactly had the best experiences with men. So yeah." Stop, Dae. Stop now. Don't tell him anything else.

"What do you mean? Did you have a boyfriend or..."

"No, never had a man in my life for more than a few minutes before the cops would get there."

"Wha-oh. Woah. I'm... I'm sorry." He muttered under his breath angrily before speaking again. "I would never do that to you. I don't know why anyone would ever do that."

"Yeah. Twice."

"Twice? Where did you live?"

"Where haven't I lived?"

"Do you ever give straight answers?"

"No."

"Hey, that's a start."

I snorted.

The silence was deafening, and I leaned against the wall and slid to the floor.

"I've moved around a lot, last place I lived was Michigan. Before that was Colorado. I'm here living with my mom and uncle now."

He sat beside me.

"Where's your dad?"

I snorted at his blunt question.

"Never had one."

"You never- what?"

"My mom was... Assaulted. Got pregnant with me. Never saw him again."

"Wow. That's so-"

"Mhm. Anyway, what's your story, picket fence life with mom and dad waiting for you to get home, cooking dinner and reading the newspaper?"

"Nope, I live with my aunt. My mom is gone most of the time on business. She couldn't wait to get off the res and 'get a real job.'"

"Dad?"

"No idea. Probably in jail again. He's been in and out my whole life."

"Huh. We're very similar." I frown. Why would I say that?

"How 'bout that."

We didn't say anything else before the lights came back on. I stood and stretched. Paul stayed on the floor and watched me.

"So... Enjoy your reading, I guess."

"Wait, your aunt is Ava?"

"Yeah."

"She's our neighbor, Jay is my uncle."

"We're next door neighbors. Well well well..."

"Yeah, who could've guessed."

I turned and went to check out my books, and dashed through the rain to my car. Mom will probably be waiting with the girl, and be talking her ears off about how worried she is.

I was confused as to why Paul will be so hot and cold around me, like he's bipolar or something. It was distracting me as I brushed my teeth for the third time this morning before getting irritated at myself and pulling on my boots with more force than necessary.

I got through school without any incidents and pulled into the driveway just before dinner.

"Hey, Uncle Jay, I'm home!"

"Hi, Dae, uh, could you give me a hand?" I dumped my stuff in the hallway and went into the kitchen.

"Sure, what-" I cut off seeing him covered in cookie dough up to his elbows.

"Uncle... Uncle Jay, what the heck are you doing?" I managed between my laughs.

"You seemed a little... Irritable... Lately, so I was going to make cookies, but then I remembered that I can't bake. But it was too late by that point. You gonna help me?"

I threw my arms around him.

"You're so good at cheering me up. Of course, let's get some in the oven."

After devouring half of the cookie dough and baking the rest, Uncle Jay and I cleaned up the kitchen and went our separate ways. I'm so much happier with him around all the time, he lightens everything up so I find myself laughing when normally I would be moping in my room.

The only thing that I'm not completely fine with these days is the Paul situation.

What is his deal? First he's nice and I'm rude, then he's rude and I'm rude, then he's nice and I'm nice... and now what? He's rude and I'm nice? He ignored me in school again today. If he's going to push me away, I'm not going to try. He needs me, I don't need him. I just won't give him any more of my time. He doesn't deserve it.

{PAUL'S POV}

She wandered from tree to tree, climbing on rocks, trying to find me. My stomach twisted at the sight of her. She was lost in the middle of nowhere because that's where I left her. She fell several times, cutting, scraping or bruising her small frame. Her dark eyes were filled with tears. Her lips were bleeding from her constant biting. Her pale face was stained with dirt, blood and tears. Her jeans were ripped from the last time she fell, and her pretty blouse was snagged. But all that was nothing, nothing at all compared to what I knew was going on inside. And know it was because of me. And if she was in pain, I was in pain, only 10 times worse. It was my mistake, and I tried to fix it, even if it hurt me more than her. Better a little pain now than a whole lot later. Still, it took every ounce of control I had not to go running back, sweep her off her feet, kiss her bleeding mouth and brush her bedraggled hair from her face, carry her to safety. Every ounce. That left no power at all to block out the pain, and I cried out, the stabbing pain returning to burn me from the inside out. It made my knees buckle and I fell in a crumpled heap to the ground.

I woke up with a start as my dream-self hit the rocks I'd been watching from.

I can't let this happen. I can't let Daenarys into my life.


	6. Chapter 6

{DAE'S POV}

The next day at school, I had done very well in not crossing paths with Paul, and I was quite proud of how little I'd thought about him. It's pathetic, but it's a start. I am glad today is Friday and I'll have some time to myself to figure this out over the weekend. This is when having no social life is a good thing.

"Daenarys?" I hear his voice behind me.

Crap... so much for that.

"Hi Paul." I turned to face him, eye-level with his collarbones. I'm pretty tall, but he's a freaking monster. I look up into his face. He starts talking again.

"I-I'm not sure what... what I was going to say to you, so I guess... I'm sorry I've been such a jerk."

"Well, um... thanks?"

"I don't have a reason or an excuse, I was just being… stupid. An idiot, really."

"Yeah, I agree with that. So what now?" I say, trying not to let myself care.

"Do you want to hang out tomorrow?" His question catches me off guard and I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Hang out?"

"When we do speak, I've had a good time. You're funny." He says, quieter now.

"I-sure. I'm right next door, we could meet up in the morning?" I suggest.

"I actually have to get to work in the morning, how about after lunch?"

"Sure, I'm pretty bitchy in the mornings anyway." He laughed.

"I have no trouble picturing that. Well, we should get to class."

"Mhm, see you. Oh by the way," He turned around as I called after him. I choose my words intentionally. "My friends call me Dae."

He smiled.

"Alright, Dae."

He walked off as I squinted at his back, trying to figure him out. I guess we're friends now, though.

The rest of the day passed as it usually does, aside from the raised eyebrow when Paul saw me looking at him from the other side of the hall. I raised my eyebrow back at him, both of us silently questioning the motives of the other. You could almost hear our silent, but mutual, 'what are you looking at?'

When I got home, Uncle Jay was on the porch, talking to Billy Black.

"Is that Daenarys? Man, has that girl grown!"

"Hi Billy, good to see you again." I greeted, slinging my backpack down and shaking his hand. Hugs have been difficult ever since he was put in the wheelchair.

"It's good to have you back on the res, honey."

"It's good to be back."

We chatted for a while about what cities I'd lived in since my last visit to La Push, a couple years ago. Eventually, I went inside, bidding both a good night.

Once I was alone and not distracted, my mind went to what "hanging out" means now. I run through several scenarios where 'hanging out' can mean casual sex, watching TV, going out, hiking, doing homework… I have no idea what it means coming from Paul. I fished through all the boxes I hadn't unpacked for a cute top to wear with my favorite jeans, and finally came upon something white and lacy. This will do. I set it aside and showered.

I went back into my room to dry my hair and put my pjs on, and heard a knock on my door.

"Dae?"

"Come in, Mom." I say, tossing my towel onto my desk chair and grabbing a comb. She comes into the room and sits on my bed.

"Hi honey, how are you holding up?" She asks. I stop combing my hair to think.

"I'm... I'm doing good. I really like having Uncle Jay around."

"Yeah, me too. It's nice to live with him again."

"How are you doing? How do you like working for that girl?"

"Onyx? It's so much better than waitressing. She's very easy. I think you'd like her. And maybe you could get her to... put more clothes on." My mom is not necessarily judgmental… but she kind of is.

"Yeah, you mentioned that before, what do you mean?" I ask. She sighed.

"The first day, I knocked on her door and she answered it, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a blanket."

"No shirt?"

"No shirt. It's the weirdest thing, she does it to be comfortable but honestly doesn't care what anybody else thinks. And I mean, it's her house, I guess. But she's... I don't know. She just dresses oddly."

"She sounds colorful." I say, scrunching up my nose. My mom hastily jumps in.

"She's a sweet girl, really. She has so much life in her. I'm surprised she's not more of a partier."

"I'll have to meet her sometime." I say with a shrug, not really intending to follow through.

"Why don't you go tomorrow? I'm not working and she might like the company."

"Tomorrow? I… I guess I could go in the morning…"

"Morning? What about the afternoon, you hate dealing with people in the morning."

"Well… I sorta had something planned tomorrow afternoon." I say, not making eye contact.

"Daenarys Winter, do you have a date tomorrow?"

I blush.

"No... not really..." She gave me a look. "Well, it's with the neighbor guy…"

"Really. 'That bitch,' Paul Lahote?"

"Yeah… that's the bitch. It's not really a date though."

"Is he interested in you?"

"Not that I know of. He hates me half the time. We just get a big kick out of teasing each other." I explain, realizing how weird that sounds when you say it out loud.

"Alright, who you go out with is up to you. But watch your step, sweet pea."

"I will, mom." She stood, and we exchanged goodnights before she went off to bed.

XxxxX

The next morning, I headed out to go find this Onyx creature.

My mom's instructions led me down the wrong street, but I finally found her house. I assume it's Onyx's because it's in one of the ritziest neighborhoods in the area, and there's a girl out front reading that looks like she could use a bra. When she saw me, she put her book away and stood.

"Hey, your mom said you were coming over today. I'm Onyx." She said, coming around the porch to open the picket fence gate for me. I try not to gape at the beautiful house she lives in – by herself? That still kind of weirds me out.

"Hi, I'm Dae." I manage, smiling faintly.

"Nice to meet you. Want a cup of tea?" Okay, maybe she's not that weird.

"I'd love a cup." I followed her inside, taking note of the beautifully decorated front room.

"So you live here by yourself?" I say, immediately cringing. Why is that my opening conversation starter?

"Well, mostly. My parents try to come home as much as possible. But business takes time and usually they're busy."

"That must be nice, having a whole house to yourself." I suggest, imagining everything I could do if I had a whole house to myself. I'd never use headphones at home again.

"Oh it definitely is. Most people think I get lonely, but nah... It's too interesting to be lonely."

"You could host a wild slumber party and they would never know."

"Oh I have," she giggled, pouring us tea. "So, if we're gonna be friends, you gotta spill about who you're eyeing at school."

"Uh, I'm not really 'eyeing' anyone, but I am going to hang out with Paul Lahote later today. So him, I guess. I don't really think anything is going to happen, though." I admit.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he acts like he hates me about 60% of the time, and I hate him the rest of the 40%. So that's not a great start." I shrug. "We do have a good time on the off chance that both of us are being chill."

"That's a start, right? I mean, a lot of the time, Paul just acts like he hates things because he doesn't want people to know that he really likes it." She explains. I raise my eyebrows. "I've known Paul for several years now."

"Gotcha. Okay, your turn. Who are you eyeing?" I ask her. She blushes faintly and smiles.

"I'm seeing a guy named Collin, do you know him?"

"I know who he is. He's cute, seems nice." I say, not really knowing what else to say.

"Yeah, I think so. He's fun."

"How long have you been with him?"

"Next week I think it'll be a month or so? He never really formally asked me out so it's hard to say. We've been hanging out for awhile, though."

"From the way you talk about him, it seems like you really like him." I smile. Onyx nods.

"He is pretty special."

I didn't stay much longer, wanting to clean up a little before Paul showed up.

When I got to the house, I found Uncle Jay snoring on the couch, the TV remote resting on his chest, rising and falling with each breath. I smile.

I'm halfway through brushing my hair out when I hear a knock on the door and I fly down the stairs, hoping it didn't wake up my uncle. I sneak a look at him before answering the door.

"Hi, shh, uncle's asleep. I'll be right there, I need to grab my stuff." I tell him before running back up the stairs and grabbing my bag.

You're just hanging out, Dae, no big deal, I remind myself. I ran out again, finding him sitting in his car with the engine running. I climb into the passenger seat.

XxxxX

{PAUL'S POV}

She got in my car, slightly breathless, and I could hear her heart beating rapidly. She buckles her seatbelt and starts talking.

"So, Paul, what are we doing?"

"Laser tag, you like it?"

"I haven't played much but I do like it."

"Good. I used to play with a friend of mine. That was a while ago, though, haven't played in years." I tell her.

"Does he not play anymore?" She asks.

"No." None of the wolves like to talk about why.

"Oh. Bummer."

"I mean, it's been awhile, and like… t's just... Well, he died." I said bluntly, grimacing. I ignore the wave of anger that always comes with thinking about him.

"Oh! I'm... I'm sorry I didn't..." She seems shocked, and I don't really blame her.

"It's fine." I lied. "It was a while ago."

It was a while ago. Ken was only 14 at the time. He was the next kid to phase after me. He died protecting the res, fighting a leech harder than anyone so that his little sister would be safe. Zoe wasn't told at the time, and she probably still doesn't know. She and the rest of the family thought he died being a careless, immature idiot. Even when Seth imprinted on her and she found out about the wolves, nobody really brought it up. He died being more mature than any of us. We don't talk about him anymore, knowing full well that any one of us could be next.

Another reason that I hate the bloodsuckers. Also the reason I try not to get close to anyone.

"Okay."

Awkward silence. I hoped she wouldn't ask how he died. She's smart and would see right through the story we've used for years.

"So do you usually take your dates to play laser tag?" She asks, breaking the silence.

"Nope. Movie, dinner, home. Or sometimes bed and then home." I add in, wondering if it would be a deal breaker for her. I continue talking when she doesn't react. "But nothing good is showing now so I had to pick something else." It's not a lie, but not the truth either. As much as I don't want an imprint, some part of me tells me I can't treat her like any old date. She's different.

Plus they really didn't have anything good on.

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I feel kinda special that I get a different date than the standard, even if the reason isn't something I can control... Thanks."

"Sure." I try to sound indifferent but she looks at me sideways without moving her head. She's picked up on the fact that I'm glad she's glad it's not a movie and dinner.

"Do you really like me for who I am?" She asked suddenly.

"No. I don't." I'm trying to keep her as far away emotionally as I can, so I don't really know what her personality is like.

"So why are you taking me out?" She sounds suspicious, and with my reputation, I can't blame her.

"I have to. I can't not." I'm being cryptic and stupid; I sigh. "Its too hard to keep avoiding you. Hopefully you never have to know why. I wish I didn't know myself. I wish I could've stayed out. Since I couldn't protect myself, I have to keep you out of the world I live in as long as possible. If I can, forever. Not because I necessarily dislike you; because you deserve better and I wouldn't condemn anyone to my life." That... Was a lot more dramatic than I wanted it to be. She's very confused now.

"Well, what a cheery light-hearted gentleman on our first date!"

"Rule #1 about Paul Lahote. I am never cheery or light-hearted. And gentleman is rare, don't get used to it."

Neither one of us said anything else until I parked and walked swiftly around the car to get the door for her. She had already started to, but I opened it all the way and offered my hand to pull her out. I swear, that girl is nothing but legs. My small car didn't make it east on us tall people. She giggled. I raised an eyebrow. She raised one back at me. Well I guess neither one of us is all that forthcoming with explanations. I force myself to be okay with that when we enter the building.

As we got geared up and started playing, I remember how much I like laser tag. Dae isn't half bad herself, although she's not the best at hiding. My wolf reflexes kept wanting to kick in to push me further ahead, but I tell myself that would be cheating. I don't need to do it to win, and I don't think I would feel successful for winning if I cheated. We ended with me just a few points in front, and Dae giggled as I grinned. I caught myself quickly and eased my face back into its usual non-descript expression.

"I thought you said 'Paul Lahote is never cheery or light-hearted.'" She mocked my voice using her fingers to form air quotes.

I shook my head.

"You caught me at a weak moment..." She kept staring at me with her head tilted to the side slightly and a smirk on her lips until we both started laughing. "Okay you're right. I had fun."

"What? Did Paul Lahote just admit to enjoying something? That wasn't sex?"

I rolled my eyes, interrupting her,

"The man-whore rumors are hugely exaggerated…" I interject. She smirked and continued.

"Enjoying said activities with a decidedly unsexy girl?"

I frowned. Even if I don't like her, I can't stand when someone else doesn't like her, even if that person is herself.

"I don't want you to ever call yourself unsexy. You're so much sexier than all of the girls in school, because this," I brush my fingers over her cheeks, "is your real skin, and this," I ran my fingers from the front of her scalp down to the ends of her jet black hair, "this is your real hair. You aren't fake like the painted bitches in school. And that makes you way sexier in my eyes."

"You... You think I'm sexy?"

She looked up at me with her wide, doe-like eyes.

"You're not just sexy, you're a gorgeous woman, don't you forget it."

"Wow, Paul. I think you actually have a heart."

Her statement took me by surprise.

"I-I have a heart." I whispered. I do, and I don't know why or when I decided this, but I want her to know that. I took her hand and placed it over my heart as it beat rapidly from the adrenaline coursing through my veins. "This is what you do to my heart whenever you're near me, whenever I think about you, hell, whenever someone mentions your name."

"Paul-"

"Daenarys."

"You're serious."

"I am."

"You're right, you do have a heart. That's really important to me."

"It's really important to me too." I say in mock-seriousness, deciding I've had enough of this sappy shit. "I'd keel over and die if I didn't have one." Her hand, which I hadn't released from against my chest, jerked itself away as she laughed and smacked my shoulder.

"You...ugh!"

"I'm serious! I need something to keep my blood moving!" I chuckled as we got into my car.

"You moron..."

"Yep."


	7. Chapter 7

{Collin POV}

I jog up to Onyx on the beach, grabbing her hand as we walk. She jumps.

"Oh, hey Collin, you startled me." She says, smiling and laying a hand over her heart.

"I didn't see you at the house so I figured you were down here," I tell her, swinging our arms between us. "Going for a dip or some sun?"

"Maybe a bit of both, I haven't been swimming in awhile and I know Reia would kill me if she found out."

"I can't remember the last time I swam at the beach, a bunch of us guys usually just do some cliff diving and get out right away."

"Cliff diving? That sounds so fun." She says with a grin. "I haven't tried it before."

"Want me to take you? Right now?" I suggest, gesturing to the cliff that her house is on. Hers is the last house on the cliff before it's just open space.

"I'm game, let's do it!"

We climb the steps to her porch and hop over the fence on the edge of her yard.

"So when you're starting out, it's really easy to chicken out at the last second and let yourself fall straight down, but you have to just jump out as far as you can so you're as far from the shallow water's rocks down below." I explain as we walk. She nods seriously.

"Do you actually dive? Or just jump feet first?" She asks.

"I mean… I dive, but I wouldn't recommend diving in your first time. Get used to it first."

"Alright, why don't you go first and show me how it's done." She suggests. I nod, stripping my shirt off and tossing it aside. I realize what a great opportunity this is for showing off, and I take a couple steps back to get a dramatic running start.

When I reach the edge of the cliff, I propel myself off it and do some (admittedly, pretty sick) straight bodied flips before my hands slice into the water below. I grin at my successful jump, and turn around to go back up to the surface.

I look up to where I jumped, and saw her on the edge of the cliff, looking down at me nervously. I yell and beckon her to jump. I see her back up a few steps before jumping off as well, screaming the whole way down before her feet hit the water and she disappears. I laugh and swim towards her, seeing her head pop up about 10 feet away from me.

"How was it?" I ask her, grinning. Her eyes are wide, but her smile is wider.

"Oh my god, that was amazing!" She screams, treading water. We swim for shore and climb out of the water before she runs up to me and gives me a bear hug, still shaking.

"You liked it?" I ask her, smiling.

"I loved it! It was invigorating!" She says enthusiastically. I grin and release her, grabbing her hand again.

"Let's get you back up there to dry off." I suggest, leading us back to the stairs up. I'm so glad she enjoyed herself, although I didn't really doubt that she would, Onyx is equal parts athlete and daredevil, so she's down for almost anything – and you'd better believe she'll be good at it.

Onyx and I spend a lot of time in the water, she's honestly a fish. After we were dried off and wrapped in damp towels, we went inside and she pulled out a tub of ice cream with two spoons.

"We're going to eat this entire thing shamelessly." She says with a grin on her face. I can't help but return it as I dig in with my spoon.

About halfway through the carton, our talk quiets down and we focus our attention on the ice cream. When I glanced up at her discreetly, I had to pause for a second. My breath caught for a moment in my lungs as I struggled to breathe against the force of the imprint, like there's something stronger than just the imprint drawing me to her. I blinked and refocused on my spoon.

I've recently come to the realization that I am in love with Onyx. Now I just have to muster up the courage to tell her. And it has to be romantic. She says that's my specialty.

I roll my eyes at myself. I've been stressing over this for three days now, and she's starting to pick up on my increasing awkwardness.

When we finished the whole tub and moved to the couch, I grabbed the photo album sitting on the coffee table.

"Is this of your family?" I ask, looking at the picture on the cover. She nods, twisting her damp hair into a giant knot on top of her head. As I started flipping through the pictures, sometimes featuring Onyx swimming, playing volleyball or more recent ones of her with a very dark, very capable-looking lady,

"That's Reia?" I ask, pointing. She nods.

"I miss having her here."

"I hope I can meet her someday." I say quietly. Onyx doesn't respond, instead pointing to her face in the picture.

"How come nobody told me I looked like an idiot! Look at this! Hideous!" She exclaimed. I wrapped my arm around Onyx while examining the picture. It really wasn't that bad, but it wasn't good either. She'd used black eyeliner to make her eyes look very racoon-like, and it didn't suit her.

"Maybe because the people in your life that really love you focus on the beautiful parts, the natural beauty that you didn't cover up. Your eyes, eyelashes, hair... lips..." I drifted off, turning to look at her. My hand rose to caress her dark rosy cheek ever so lightly. "The best parts of you." My voice was barely above a whisper.

Onyx was looking down, and I admired her eyelashes, casting shadows down her face. An intensity I'd never felt rushed through my veins, searing and exciting me.

"Do you..." She looked up into my eyes. "Do you love me?"

I answered by leaning closer, staring directly into her eyes, "Yes." I pressed my lips to hers, softly. Gently. "Yes, I love you." I kissed her again, longer. Deeper.

I realized this moment could not get better if I had planned it.

XxxxX

{DAE'S POV}

"Why don't you come inside? You're probably hungry." I tell him.

"I'm always hungry," He grumbles while following me through the door.

"What do you want?" I ask, opening the refrigerator door and poking through the food in there. I swear I heard him say "you." I must be hearing things, though, because when I glance over my shoulder, he's squinting to see what I have.

"You guys have lemonade in a pink pitcher? That's so cute!" He chuckles, and I turn to glare at him. He holds his hands up defensively. "I am not being sarcastic, I'll have some of that, thanks." I pour us two glasses and sit next to him at the counter.

"What's that?" I point to the notebook and pencil in his hands.

"Um-just the notepad I doodle in."

"You draw?"

"A little. I'm not that good."

"Can I see?" He flips through the pages until he finds one he's satisfied with, folding the spiral-bound pages backwards to discourage me from exploring the other pages. I examine the detailed shading on the flowers and plants decorating the pages. "You're a semi-realist?" I inquire, recalling the styles mentioned in a drawing book I'd seen at some point.

"Yeah, working up to realist, I guess." He says thoughtfully.

"You're really good, you have a good eye."

"Thanks." He took a long gulp of his lemonade. He took his notebook out of my hands and put it back on the counter on the other side of his arms. "Want to make fun of sappy lines in a movie?" He suggests, grinning.

"That is totally something I would do." I agree. We put in a new chick flick that came out two months ago. My mom loved it, but Uncle Jay didn't really see the point. I thought it was hilarious.

Paul and I snorted in laughter at some of the gooey lines.

"I can't believe people get paid to say these lines." I managed to gasp out between laughs.

"I need to be an actor, I would be pretty fantastic. 'My life is empty. without you.'" He dropped down to one knee, taking my hand and bowing his head submissively to hold my knuckles to his lips for a brief moment, and I nearly lost myself in the sincerity of his gaze, even if his words were mocking. I played off my reaction as a dramatic swoon backwards into the couch. He flopped down beside me and both of us busted out in a fit of laughter at the ridiculous actors in the movie. When we'd caught our breath once more, he glanced at his phone.

"I didn't realize it was so late, I need to head home before your uncle comes to kick my ass to the curb." I laughed at the imagery.

"What, you think I'm joking? He's actually kicked me out before." He snorted.

"What were even you doing here?" I asked, genuinely curious, as there were never any pretty girls living in this house for him to lure into his bed.

"It was several years ago, I think I was like 9. His goddaughter was here, and I used to hang out with her." I frowned. I'm his only goddaughter.

"Did she have short brown hair and brownish skin?"

"Yeah, that's the one. She was a sarcastic pain in the butt, and I used to stay as long as he would let me." He smiled fondly at the memory.

"That was me you idiot, Jay only has one goddaughter!" I practically yelled, poking his chest.

"But her name was-"

"Rosie."

"Yeah."

"Which is a nickname for Rose, aka Daenarys Rose Winter. I went through an I-hate-my-name phase and went by my middle name when I was 7." He smacked his forehead.

"That explains so much!"

I squint at him, wondering what that explains, but I let it go as I hear the footsteps of my uncle on the stairs.

"I still have to kick you out, boy?" He chuckled as he entered the room.

"I'm leaving!" Paul said quickly, jumping up from the couch and waving at me. "I'll see you later, Rosie." I snorted.

"Don't call me that."

"Okay, bye Jay!" He high-tailed it out of there, my uncle closed the door behind him.

"So you guys figured it out, huh?" He laughed and sat down next to me.

"You were listening? Why didn't you tell me?" I'm having a hard time deciding what I'm most mad about.

"I'm not sure, I guess I didn't want to spoil your memories with how that... manchild that just left turned out." I laughed.

"I guess I don't blame you then." I got up, taking our glasses into the kitchen to wash them, and seeing Paul's notebook still sitting on the counter.

Is it wrong that I want to look at what he wasn't showing me?

I really shouldn't, he'd be mad if he found out.

But I've known him for years, and therefore have a right to look, right?

My curiosity won out over my conscience and I grabbed it off the counter and rolled over the back of the couch to examine it.

Page one: woah... okay, lots of skin, next page. I went through the pages one by one, examining his work and being careful not to smudge any of it. About three quarters of the way through, I turned the page and froze, very confused.

Several pairs of my eyes stared back at me from the paper.

After I got over the initial shock of it, I examined more closely the tiny details incorporated with pencil. The little ridge forming a scar above my eyelid on the right. Which, come to think of it, he gave me when we were kids, when he accidentally hit me in the face with a branch as we ran through the trees together. He caught the slightly mismatching patterns of my irises. The wide gap in lashes on the corner of my left eye. The little imperfections that I recognize. Each different angle showed new ones. Flipping to the next page, lips that were unmistakably mine in different positions. Scowling, smirking, pouting, parted in concentration. And several half-finished sketches trying to get my smile right, eventually scribbled out in defeat. I find similar pages dedicated to the view from behind me of my hairline descending to my neck, my feet, my face, my hands. It seems like I'm Paul's latest muse, and I realize I'm the last thing he's drawn, the sketches ending with only five or six pages left in the book. I am interrupted by a soft knock on the door, and I smile, getting up to answer it. I find him waiting with his hands shoved into his pockets, looking extremely distressed.

"What are you doing here, I thought you went home."

"Yeah, but – dude, I only live next door, it's not that far. I came back because I left my notebook here."

"Oh, this one?" I held it up, just beyond his reach as he tried to snatch it back.

"Yeah, that one... Um. Did you... You didn't..."

"Open it?"

"Yeah?"

"Of course I did." I smirk at his horrified expression.

"...and?"

"And what? Did I see your little shrine of me?"

"I don't have a shrine of you!"

"Really? Why else would you be so agitated over some drawings?" I opened the notebook up to the page dedicated to my hands, which had on the same ring that I always wear, holding it next to my own hand to show the similarity. I do the same with the sketch of my eyes, casting mine down seriously and laughing when he lunged to grab it back.

"So if it's not a shrine, what is it?"

"My study for anatomy. Boobs are next, mind if I use you as a model?" He smirked and I crossed my arms.

"You liar."

"Why would I make a shrine to you?" He asks, exasperated.

"Because you like me." I grinned, poking his ribs.

"I most certainly do not like you; I can barely even tolerate you."

"Okay, fine. But you do hate me marginally less than you hate everyone else." I conceded.

"The key word there being 'marginally.'"

"World, he admits it!" I shout, raising my arms above my head and looking up.

"Be quiet, the world is asleep like normal people!" He hisses, looking around and grabbing my arms to bring them back down. I laugh at him.

"Live a little, Lahote." He rolls his eyes.

"Goodnight, Dae." I giggle at the martyred expression on his face.

"You didn't have to ask me out." I pointed out.

"We went through this already." He hisses, turning to walk away.

"For the record," I call out, stopping him, "I hate boys. But not you. You're okay. Don't screw it up." He looks back curiously, nodding once before disappearing into the darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter is tiny - I know, but it's the last chapter before stuff starts going down. I have a lot of the rest of this story written, it just needs to be put together and edited to flow more cohesively. I'll hopefully be posting that on here soon - summer is coming up and I'll have some more free time to work on my stories.**

"Aww, look at the awkward monkey, so deep in thought." Jared poked me in the side.

"I'm okay in her book!" I said defensively, not sure what was going on or what I was being accused of now. And of course, blurted out the first thing to come to mind. The mention of a female caught the interest of the room.

"Her?" Sam asked.

"Yeah... didn't you know?"

"Know what?" Sam looked interested.

"I imprinted, like two months ago."

"You WHAT?" I nodded. I don't know why this is all such a shock.

"I thought you knew, she's pretty much all I ever think about."

"I don't always... pay attention," Sam admitted guiltily. Jared cut in.

"Nobody really notices you, sorry man."

"Seriously, none of you knew?" I was surprised at how much I could've gotten away with if I'd taken advantage of their neglect. Now they'd be paying extra attention to my thoughts. Great.

All of the pack members shook their heads slowly, and Emily smiled a little.

"I thought you were quieter than usual..." Of course, Emily would know.

"Who is it?" Jared apparently picked up on my intentional lack of information... I blushed.

"Onyx Meraz?" They either wouldn't remember her or remember her as less than clothed. Yep. Judging by their whistles and laughs, they remember her clearly. My blush darkened. At least Sam and Emily looked sympathetic – they've known Onyx for a while, and they know she's a good person.

"Collin, you lucky bastard… Don't screw it up..." Brady winked in my direction. Great. Now they'll be watching my thoughts like hawks.

"Have you told her?" Sam asked, looking concerned now. I shook my head.

"No. Scared to death. She's not going to react well."

"You don't know that." Emily said hesitantly. I shook my head again.

"Yes. Yes I do know that. Mark my words, I'll be in the doghouse." I sighed.

"You have to tell her soon, though." Sam told me. I nodded.

"I will."

**Enjoying the story so far? Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**It's been a hot second since I've done a real update for this story, but here's a good sized chapter (finally)! For those of you that are America, happy 4th of July! **

{Collin POV}

I knew the pack was right. The longer I wait to tell Onyx, the more upset she's going to be that I kept this from her. I just have to come out and tell her exactly what I am and I'm sure it'll be fine, she's my imprint and everything always works out perfectly with the imprints, right?

If only…

I walked Onyx home from school the next day, and tried to steer the conversation in the direction of the legends, which she had heard many times before.

"Yeah, I've always believed in the legends, ever since I was a kid. Legends start from somewhere, right?" I tell her, trying to get a feel for what she knows and how on board she is with the ideas.

"I guess, but by now, they've been so overblown and dramatized that I doubt you'd even recognize the characters if you met them. I mean, people turning into wolves?" Onyx shook her head. My palms were sweating and I bit my lip.

"But like… how else would they have defeated the cold ones? Like it had to be something supernatural." I argued.

"Collin, I'm not sure that the cold ones were even vampires. We don't really know anything about what happened, and if there were vampires then, why don't we see any now? For all we know, they could just be anemic."

"What if… I have seen vampires?" I suggested in a whisper, half hoping she wouldn't hear me. Onyx stopped.

"Are you serious? Why should I believe that? If you'd been near vampires, why didn't they snap your neck or suck you dry?"

"I've been… Well, I've been trying to tell you this for awhile but by now it's long overdue. Onyx, I am one of those wolves in the legends." I spit the words out as fast as I could, like ripping a band aid off. Onyx stared at me like I'm insane.

"What?"

"I'm a shapeshifter. I can shapeshift into a giant wolf at will." I tell her, fiddling nervously with my backpack. She blinks.

"I've heard of shapeshifters in other places, but have always just kinda believed it was an overblown story. You know, like Dracula."

"I sometimes wish that it was a myth, but no. I don't know about other shifters but the Quileute wolf shapeshifters and vampires are both very real. I wouldn't be surprised if most other supernatural creatures were too."

"You've seen vampires? In person?"

"Yeah, I mean you have too, you know Nessie's parents? They're vampires, but they don't drink human blood, they hunt animals and drink that blood. We don't love them but they're fine."

"Can you… prove it?" She asked, curious. This is going a lot better than I thought it would, and I nod, handing her my backpack.

"I have to… get naked… sorry." I tell her, peeling my shirt off. Onyx just shrugged, still watching me intently. Once I was naked, I took a few steps back from her and phased.

It took a second for me to adjust to being in wolf form again, as it had been awhile. Since there are no major things happening right now, us younger wolves are sort of off duty.

When I realized what was happening, I panicked. Onyx looked terrified, which I don't blame her for. I freaked out and didn't know what to do, so I phased back immediately.

"Hey hey hey, it's still me, I'm not gonna hurt you." I tell her, holding my hands up. Onyx didn't say anything, so I sat down – still naked, ow – on a fallen tree to give her more information.

"The wolves are the protectors of the Quileute people, and that protection sometimes extends to outside the res. We only hunt vampires, and we keep the tribe safe from them. That's my job."

"You KILL vampires?" She finally spoke. I nodded. I can't tell if she's in shock or in awe.

"That's our job, to keep people like you and the rest of the tribe safe." I explain, but she drops my backpack and runs away in the direction of her house. For a second, I debate whether or not I should chase her. I could easily catch her, but I don't want to freak her out even more than she already is.

I put my clothes back on and grab my stuff, heading up the stairs to her house. She must already be inside because I don't see her anywhere. I run up to her back door and sit down outside it.

"I know this whole thing comes off as really creepy and stalkerish, but I'm going to leave in like ten minutes. I just wanna tell you some stuff, and if you feel like opening the door… Well, that would be really great." I rest my head against the glass and close my eyes. I can hear her walking around inside, and her heart is racing. "Okay, so the wolves protect the tribe and surrounding area from vampires that wander in. I kinda already told you about that. So then comes this whole separate thing… imprinting."

I sigh. Imprinting screwed up Onyx's perfectly happy life and now I'm stuck here and I can't live without her, so whether or not she likes me, she'll have to put up with me at least a little bit.

"Some shapeshifters in our tribe will… imprint… on another person, and it feels like if anything were to happen to that person, you'd just… lose your will to live. The center of gravity isn't the earth anymore but the person you imprinted on." Onyx has stopped walking around and is now sitting down near the door. I smile to myself.

"When you imprint, nothing else is as important as protecting that person. If you haven't guessed by now, I imprinted on you. If you're afraid of me hurting you… you're the last person on earth that I could ever hurt in any way." I tell her, not even able to imagine how much it would hurt me if I caused any harm at all to come to her.

I take a deep breath. She still hasn't opened the door, and I decide that it's time for me to leave. Sitting here will only scare her and make her hate me.

"Onyx? I'm really sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Please call me if you wanna talk or… anything. I really care about you and I want to talk to you about this. I'm gonna leave you alone now. Give me a call." I tell her door, knowing she can hear me and hoping she'll open the door before I leave. My heart stops as I hear her get up, but she only walks in the direction of her bedroom. I sigh again, walking away. My heart gets heavier with every step.

{Onyx POV}

The phone rang on the table beside me. I let it ring four times, then the answering machine picks it up and plays instructions. It beeped.

"Onyx? It's Collin. Um… I don't know what to say other than I love you and I miss you. I hope you can accept me. Please call me back. Bye."

I don't know what to do. It seemed like he loved me. It seemed like he cared about me, not because he was forced to, but because of who I am. I guess I was wrong, if he's telling the truth about imprinting. He didn't pick me, he didn't fall in love with me. It was all orchestrated by "the fates."

I got up, putting on some water and tidying up the kitchen as I waited. I couldn't keep myself focused on anything in particular, the word wolf pulsing through my mind. It had already been two days since he'd told me, but it hadn't gotten any less horrifying. It was quite a bit later when I jumped at the sound of the phone ringing again, and went to voicemail again. I sat down with my steaming cup of tea to listen to it.

"Nyxie, please let me tell you what werewolves really do, what their job is, I'm not a murderer, if that's what you think. I miss you so much. Onyx. Please give me a chance. Please."

I'm not sure what he means by "I'm not a murderer." I heard about the benevolent vampires, the Cullens, who drink animal blood instead of human, and if real life vampires drink animal blood, what makes them the bad guys? Collin's job is literally to kill the vampires, who aren't bothering anyone.

"Onyx, I know you're there, sitting on the couch with your green tea, next to the table. You're probably topless and wrapped up in your white fuzzy blanket. I love you. So much."

I pull my blanket tighter around me, ignoring the way it made me feel when he guessed exactly right about my position.

"Give me a chance. Please. I literally can't live without you, and it's killing me to try. I know you're listening, Nyxie. Pick up the phone. Pick it up and talk to me. Please." His voice trailed off to a whisper as he choked out the words.

"Pick up the phone. I'm begging you. Pick it up and talk to me. Please, Onyx." We were both crying.

"Nyxie. Please." He waited for a long time.

"Okay. I love you." He hung up.

**Stay tuned for an update on Dae and Paul, I have some fun ideas for them coming up soon, so follow this story to get an email when I post an update! Don't forget to leave me a review on this chapter (or previous ones) and let me know what you think of Onyx and Dae - they're a little tough to get to know but once you do, you'll be glad you did. Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Another new chapter! I have a lot of the rest written, it just needs to be edited. I may post another chapter this week, we'll see. Let me know your thoughts on the new developments! **

{Dae POV}

Sunday morning, I woke up late, deciding to take a trek into the woods with my neglected camera. I hadn't had the energy or peace of mind to take it out to document my surroundings, but with the progress I'd made with Paul, I feel rejuvenated. I fished through a couple boxes before triumphantly producing my beloved Nikon. I slung the strap around my neck and switched the lens out for one more appropriate for photographing landscapes. Satisfied with my preparations, I shoved my feet into my well-worn olive sneakers and set out to explore the woods.

I hadn't gone too far out when I heard a noise behind me. I turned to see the tail of a large animal retreat into some bushes behind a log. I looked around cautiously, not knowing if there were more, but when I was satisfied it was just the one, I flicked the on switch on my camera, holding it to my eye to go a little closer. Unfortunately, I stepped on a branch, not paying attention to my feet, and the animal poked it's head up, its wolf-like ears and one eye visible. I frowned.

This can't be a wolf, it's too big. It's not a dog, and upon closer inspection, it has human-like mannerisms, like not darting off, or spying on me rather than outright challenging me. I held my camera to my eye again, ready to snap a picture, but it's head disappeared again. I ventured a little closer, standing on my toes to see over the obstruction, but when I was actually near enough to get a clear shot, the animal darted away so fast, I barely could track with it's movements. It took me a second to react, but my fingers automatically held down the shutter button, taking maybe thirty shots of the fleeing creature.

I was curious of the strange animal's behavior, especially as I looked at each of the blurry pictures. I couldn't tell much, but from what I could see, it was a giant wolf, or something similar. I dropped down on a log, the adrenaline rush over, leaving me tired. I stayed there for a few minutes, just staring at the clearest picture. Deciding I wouldn't learn anything new from the tiny screen, I rose, planning on going over to talk to Onyx about it. Onyx knows a lot about the area, so maybe she can tell me what kind of animal it was.

Halfway through the woods towards Onyx's house, I caught sight of Paul, shirtless and barefoot. He was just standing there, watching me. I raised my eyebrow in his general direction, wondering what kind of mood he would be in now, going off our friendly night yesterday. I've noticed that with every two steps forward with him, we take another step back. As he approached me, he almost looked angry. Then again, that might just be his face at this point. I let my lips move up in a cautious smile.

"Hey."

"You're not dead." He said gruffly.

"No. Should I be?" Is this about the animal I saw out here? What does he know about the creature? I decide against bringing my encounter up, figuring he won't tell me anything and or will get madder.

"Congratulations. I'll... I'll be leaving now." He ignored my question.

"Um, why would I be dead now? Last I heard, there wasn't a natural disaster or any serial killers in the area." My curiosity got the better of me, and I don't plan on letting him get away so easily.

"I-well-look, Dae. Just trust me, I'm a ranger. I can't tell you anything, but just... Don't go into the woods alone or you'll meet a serial killer. I'm serious. Please don't."

"And why do you care if I die?" I taunt him, remembering his admission of non-hatred from last night.

"I just do, okay? So please. Stay out of the woods." He tells me, annoyed now. I quirk my eyebrow up.

"Is this your way of telling me you'd miss me if I died?"

He laughed sardonically.

"As if."

"Which brings me back to why do you care if I die?" I push. He rubbed his temples, clearly at a loss of what to do now.

"The woods aren't safe, part of my job working for Billy and the counsel is keeping people out of the woods. You're people. Let's just say I lose my job if you die. Stay out of the woods." And without further explanation, he turned and walked away. I pursed my lips watching him leave. He left me more curious, and solidified my plans to go and interrogate Onyx. He does look great walking away, though.

I continued on through the woods, disregarding Paul's warning, to her house. After walking for about a minute, I glanced back over my shoulder, seeing Paul about thirty feet away, frowning at the path I'd taken. I looked at him coldly and flipped him off before continuing on in my quest.

By the time I got to Onyx's, I was very thirsty and I rapped on her door a little more forcefully than necessary.

"Onyx?" She opened the door, wearing a pair of shorts and a blanket, looking rather dejected.

"Dae?" She let me in.

"Hey, what's the matter?" I hugged her instinctively, trying to not be weird about her naked upper half. She sighed.

"Just a little boy trouble, where did you come from?" She pulled away, plucking a leaf from my hair.

"I uh - went for a hike this morning for some pictures. You sure you don't want to talk about it?" I feel like as her friend, however briefly, I should be her shoulder to cry on, right? She shook her head.

"It's just something I need to work out with him, I'll be fine. Did you get any nice shots?" She tossed the blanket onto her couch, leading me into the kitchen to make us some tea.

"Yeah, well no, not really. Actually, that's what I came over to talk to you about in the first place." I took my camera from my neck, pulling the memory card out of the bottom and holding it up. "Computer?"

She left and came back with her laptop in her hands, starting it up while I poured the boiling water over the reddish tea leaves. I leaned over her shoulder to watch her click through my pictures.

"You have a good eye." She noted, and I blushed a little, remembering how I said the same thing to Paul last night.

"Thanks."

"How did your thing with Paul go yesterday?" She asked absently, still looking at the various shots I'd taken.

"It went well. Really well, actually. He admitted that he had fun."

"Well that's a good sign, particularly for Paul."

"Yeah, I thought so. But then I saw him again this morning on my way over here, and he just kinda looked angry and told me to stay out of the woods. He was kind of a bitch about it."

"I agree that you should at least stick near the edge of the woods, but that is weird. What's this?" She leaned forward, examining my blurry shots of the wolf.

I explained how I saw it. She frowned, pursing her lips and growing very quiet.

"Stay out of the woods."

"What is it?" I lean closer to the screen, trying to get a better look at it on her computer.

"Wolf. Well, kinda." She mumbled, deleting the picture and closing out of the window.

"Hey!" I couldn't imagine why she would just delete a picture like that unless she was hiding something. "What are you talking about? What am I missing, why do you and Paul know what this is, but you won't tell me? And why did you just delete my fucking picture?"

"It's his job to tell you, and I'm guessing that's a big part of him being so hot and cold to you." She only answered part of my questions, leaving me with even more. I scowled at the computer in general as she removed my memory card.

"Well, he's not doing his job then." I grumble.

"You need to talk to him about that." She tells me definitively. I roll my eyes.

"Why won't you tell me? You're the only friend I've got around here, don't ditch me now!" I'm getting very frustrated and the lack of answers going on here. First Paul, which honestly I wasn't surprised at, but now Onyx too?

"I'm serious, Dae. If it was up to me, I'd tell you in a heartbeat. It's not up to me, though. I can't tell you anything until after you've at least tried to talk to Paul about it. If he doesn't tell you, then ask me." Well, that's better than nothing, I guess. I look at her, still slightly scowling.

"I'm annoyed at you right now, but I'm still thirsty from hiking through these dangerous woods… so..." She chuckled a little as I rose to fish the tea leaves out of our forgotten mugs, handing her one. She smiled at me over the rim.

"Thanks for understanding. I promise to tell you if Paul refuses. You have a right to know, but he has a right to have a chance to explain. It will probably change a lot of things." She sips her tea. "I know it did for me."

I look at her expectantly, waiting for her to elaborate, which she doesn't.

"With Collin?" I ask when she doesn't speak. She nods.

"I'll explain later – I'm still trying to figure it out myself. Once Paul tells you, it'll make more sense."

"...Okay. By the way, Uncle Jay says Billy's doing a bonfire tonight, on the beach, do you want to go with me? I'd like to see who I recognize on the res." I tell her. Everyone here knows Uncle Jay, and Onyx is no exception.

"Do you know who's going?" She looked at me suspiciously.

"Me, Aliyah, her boyfriend Brady, Seth, Zoe, maybe Zoe's brother, although I haven't seen him around at all... for awhile actually…" I frown as I realize the object of young me's crush has been completely missing from every event I've been to.

"What are you talking about? Zoe doesn't have a brother." Onyx squints at me, confused.

"Yeah, she does, I was friends with them when I lived here 10 years ago. I had a big crush on him. He must've moved off the res or something." I explain.

"If she does, nobody ever mentions him. I've been here for four years and I've never heard anything about him."

"Maybe he was disowned or something, I hear that's what sometimes happens when someone moves off a reservation and away from family. Anyway, just a bunch of people from school I guess." I shrug.

"I'd rather not, Collin might be there and I don't know what he'll do."

"Oh come on, it's not like you to let someone else get in the way of enjoying yourself. I'll help you ignore him. Please come with me?"

"You're right. Okay, sure, I'm in. I'd like to meet Paul officially, too, if you're cool with that."

"Okay, but I'm not going to introduce you..." I laughed.

"Good thing I'm not shy then."

xXx

{Onyx POV}

Dae and I had a great time, just the two of us on the beach. She splashed me and I responded by dunking her underwater. Although she had height on me, I had more muscle and force behind me and she came up, laughing and sputtering. We both stopped, however, when we caught sight of Paul in the group around the growing fire.

"You wanna talk to him or let him make a move?" I asked, up to my chin in the waves.

"I think... I think I'll wait to see what mood he's in. Underwater! He's looking!" We both sucked in a breath and disappeared under the waves, swimming around a little before surfacing again.

"I think he's laughing." Dae squinted at the shore, looking irritated. She could stand, but we were too deep for me to see while my feet were on the ground.

"That was a smooth move, hide while he's watching and he won't notice us!" I snort, her seduction tactics were amazingly bad.

"What else am I going to do? Wave flirtily?" She protests.

"Oh honey... we got a lot of work to do if we're gonna rope him in."

"Thanks... 'preciate it. What next?" She turned to look at me, but my eyes were pointed towards the shore, where I saw the exact person I'm trying to avoid.

"Um. Sorry, you're on your own. I gotta go." I turned to start swimming towards the water in front of my house. If I swim along the coast, I won't have to get out and talk to him, right? He won't follow me into the water, probably?

"What? Why?" She looked around for what had caught my eye.

"He's here. Collin. Look over there, he's watching me. See?" I turned around while Dae looked over the top of my head. "I've just been avoiding him." I explain.

"Why? Is he being a creep?" She asked, and the sound of protectiveness in her voice would be funny if I wasn't genuinely sort of scared. I laughed once without humor.

"Something like that... I'll be okay, I just have to go now before he catches me."

"No, Onyx, you gotta stay and be my wing-woman! Please..." She gave me a puppy dog face.

Let's face it, I can't resist a good puppy dog face.

"Fine... but you can't leave me alone with him, got it?" I know she definitely will, but I make her promise anyway. She nodded. "Alright, we came here to have a good time, so let's join the chicken fight over there!"

We swam over and I climbed on her shoulders. With her height and my strength we made a pretty good team against the four or five couples we were fighting. We had several rematches and Dae and I ended up in second place, losing to a giant named Jared with his girlfriend Kim on top.

"Everyone, the food's ready!" Emily called from on shore, and Dae and I were nearly trampled by the stampede of large muscle-men all carrying their girlfriends to dry land. I could vaguely hear Emily slapping hands while yelling at the boys to be patient and let the girls eat first. Dae and I trudged wearily to the table, the last of the girls to get food before the wild boys devoured the table itself.

We escaped to a log around the fire, wrapped in dirty towels and eating our food quietly.

"Em's amazing."

"Mhm."

That's really all we needed to say, we didn't need words to assure the other that we were supporting her, and would make sure nothing awkward or terrible happened. Not long after we finished, Billy Black came to the circle in his wheelchair. Despite how the wheelchair took away from his fierce appearance, he still struck command into the group. This is probably the first time that Dae has heard the legends, and this is an important time to pay attention.

I make eye contact with Collin from where he sits on the very edge of the group, and I feel pain stab my gut. He looks so sad, so broken.

He's a killer, I have to remind myself. He and Paul, probably, who knows who else. I look away from him.

**Follow and review! Thanks for reading:)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Now we finally start to resolve some of these issues, and Paul starts to get a grip and come to terms with where he is in life. **

{PAUL'S POV}

I ran alongside Collin, who had taken shifts to help occupy his mind while he waited for his imprint to answer the phone. How he plans on answering the phone on patrol is beyond me. We usually don't have the younger wolves run regular patrol, but running helps him clear his head, or so he tells us. He was also willing to switch with anyone on my shift, my mental turmoil over my own imprint grating on the entire pack's nerves. The two of us run mostly in silence, but he speaks up tonight.

"Have you told her yet?"

"No, watching what happened with yours isn't exactly encouraging." I think back at him. He sighs.

"She's not mine." Oh yeah, I remember something about the girl's whole 'nobody owns me but me' thing. She's some form of hippie. That also has something to do with her parading around mostly naked.

"She's your imprint." I remind him.

"But she's not mine." He sounds so depressed, his defeat leaking over into me, putting me in a foul mood. I push myself more, covering more ground. He continues to think at me.

"You need to appreciate Daenarys more, she's willing to at least be your friend. But you keep shutting her down. She'll hate you soon if she doesn't already."

"I don't care, I don't want an imprint." I repeat, hoping that if I say it enough times, it'll go away.

"It's too late. You can't do anything about it. Just embrace it while you can, enjoy it." This is stupid. Collin is still a teenager, caught up in this whole sappy romance drama with his girl. I'm nearly twenty, only back in high school part time because of the time I lost in my schooling from learning to control my temper and during the newborn battle.

"You go ahead and enjoy your little romance, I'd rather not get my heart broken when she finds out I turn into a giant wolf."

"It's just a matter of time, Paul. Not even Sam could escape it, and he had a good reason to want to."

"I'm less emotional than Sam."

"Not really, you just show less emotion than Sam."

Shit, kid knows everything.

"Well, don't hold your breath." I tell him before taking off in a different direction, effectively ending the conversation even though his thoughts were still in my head.

When I got off patrol, warning Jared of Collin's state after phasing out, I went home to find a pair of jeans to go to the bonfire. I don't want to go, but Ava is going, and I'd rather go sulk there than sulk here without food.

Of course, it didn't even occur to me that somehow Dae would get invited. The only person that would invite her - I thought - would be Collin's girl, since they're best friends or something now. And I didn't think Collin's girl would be going, considering that she is avoiding Collin.

But she was there, up to her shoulders in the water, along with her friend. When she saw me, she gestured frantically to the other girl, both of them disappearing before popping up about 15 feet away. It was so… cute. I caught myself smiling. Ew. The friend seemed exasperated at Dae, probably at her terrible evasion tactics. I turned away, moving closer to the table where the food was being brought out. I find Embry there, snatching pieces of food when Emily isn't looking. He chuckles when he sees my face. I guess I look less cross than usual.

"You saw Dae I'm guessing?" He smirked when I scowled at him. Of course I saw Dae, my brain is specially wired to find her in a crowd. Damn, I hate this imprint so much.

"I don't know why she's here, who invited her?"

"Me. Well not directly. I told Jay and he invited her." He looks so damn smug. I glowered at him.

"Why?"

"Because I'm tired of your bitching. A little exposure therapy will do wonders to making you fall in love with her and quit your griping. You're always less of a whiny little bitch after you've spend time with her."

I growled and snatched the chicken leg in his hand, glaring at him as I walked away.

I refuse to fall in love.

After everyone had eaten and I was not approached by Dae, I sat down around the fire to listen to the legends. Collin joined the circle, but only barely. He looks like he needs a nap, sex, and then another nap.

Billy wheeled himself over, looking at the group, catching my eye as he saw Dae sitting with her friend on the outer edge of the circle. I shrug. Billy tries to intimidate me, but he's an old guy in a wheelchair and I'm a nearly indestructible gigantic wolf, so I'm not afraid of him. I guess he would know Dae, considering he's good friends with her uncle. He's probably not happy with how I'm treating her, but I couldn't care less what he thinks about me. Still, I catch myself checking on her constantly through Billy's tales, making sure she's still there and gauging her reaction to what she probably thinks are fairy tales.

I hear Quil snort softly next to me as he strokes Claire's hair from where she's curled up in his lap. A pang of jealousy stabs me unexpectedly, as I see how easy their relationship is. I frown and glance back at Dae.

"You're in too deep this time." He says quietly. "You can't help but like her."

"I know, I know." I grumble.

When the stories were over and everyone started leaving, I suddenly felt myself jabbed in the ribs and I spun around to see Dae's friend, Collin's imprint.

"What the fuck?" I hissed at her.

"Hi, you must be Paul."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you kept looking at Dae all night and you have bad language, just like Billy said." She said plainly, shrugging her shoulders.

"What do you want?"

"You need to tell that girl why you've been treating her like crap and that you're a wolf."

"I'm not going to do that, I don't want Dae in my life." I retort, how dare this outsider come and tell me how to live my life? I don't even let the counsel tell me what to do.

"Yes, you do want her, and if you don't tell her then I will." She threatened, and I felt anger rising up in me. I spluttered for a second.

"You can't do that!"

"Yes, I can do that, and I will. I already talked to Billy about it, and he agrees with me. You need to tell her, and if you don't, you forfeit the right to be the one to tell her."

"Then go ahead, tell her now. I'm not going to. Maybe she'll even back the fuck off of me if she knows I'm a monster, look at what you're doing with that poor kid."

"Collin?" Her face completely changes from anger to sadness. I smirked. I caught her off guard. I continue.

"Why are you accusing me of treating her like shit when you're over there ignoring the fucking phone when he tries to get in touch with you. I know how many times he's called you."

"You don't know my side of the story."

"And you barely know his. I don't see any way to justify what you're doing to him when all he's ever been is a gentleman treating you like a fucking princess." I point out. She frowned.

"I just want to think things through a little more, it was a huge shock. Don't tell me phasing for the first time didn't scare you – put yourself in my shoes. I didn't even grow up on the legends gradually dipping me into it. No, I go into the woods with him one day and BAM, gigantic feral creature standing where my kinda boyfriend was." I admit that I can kind of see her view now.

"We're not feral creatures, we're still people but with different bodies." I correct her, and she raised her eyebrow at me.

"How many vampires have you killed?"

"I don't know, I don't count them. A lot, probably over fifty. But Collin's never killed one. Sam left him here when we went to fight. He's a killing virgin. I doubt he could kill one even if he had to."

"That's his job, he'll kill one if it comes onto the res."

"Would you rather him kill it to protect you and your friend there, or would you rather be sucked dry by it?"

"They're harmless to us, they drink animal blood." She looked at me, anger in her eyes. I blink in confusion at her.

"What? Where did you hear that? Very few of them do that, most of them kill people. Sometimes just for fun, without even drinking the blood." I can tell when her brain shifts from wolves bad to oh shit, vampires bad.

"Collin said Nessie's parents-"

"Yeah, the Cullens drink animal blood. We don't mess with them, Jake even imprinted on their daughter, the half vampire. But pretty much all other vampires drink human blood and kill for it." No wonder she was so mad, Collin screwed up.

"Okay, so maybe there are a lot of bad ones. But what if it isn't a bad one and they accidentally finds themself over the border. You guys don't even give them a chance to explain what they're doing here, you just kill them."

I snorted. How is she still defending leeches?

"We don't need to. They can lie, but their eyes can't. If they've had human blood, their eyes are red. If they've had animal blood, their eyes are yellow or brown like the Cullens'. Simple. Guilty, they die. Innocent, we let 'em go. End of story." I was annoyed with her attitude, and was turning to walk away, when she gripped my arm.

"You'd better take care of her, I'm going home." She jerked her thumb backwards as she stalked past me. I looked to where she was pointed and saw Dae curled up on the sand.

Damn her. The girl knew I couldn't walk away from my imprint. I can't force myself to leave her here unprotected while she slept. I silently approach, sitting down next to her and gently lifting her into my lap so she can continue to sleep without catching a cold. I'm hoping she doesn't wake up and see me. I'll have to explain why I care about her again. I play with the ends of her damp braids, the heat from my body quickly drying the hair near her head. She shifts in her sleep, curling closer around me, and the two sides of me war, the one side rejoicing that at least her subconscious trusts me, the other side telling me that I'm not going to be able to resist her.

Jared winks at me as he left with Kim, and I can just hear him telling me that even I am not cruel enough to resist the imprint bond. In a way I agree with him. I'm also a little glad that Onyx is planning on telling her for me, so I can see what she does about it without actually telling her myself. Selfish? Sure.

I let myself wonder how she'll take it, thinking of her reacting in different ways. If she freaks out, I tell myself that it's all the better for me.

**Leave me a review! I'm really excited about the new few chapters, they're going to move things along and we'll see a lot more of the couples interacting. Do you like Daenaul or Collyx more?**


	12. Chapter 12

{DAE'S POV}

"You're fucking with me." I spluttered. "There's no way, that's impossible."

My disbelief and utter shock brought my bad language out, and Onyx shook her head ruefully.

"I wish I was. No, that giant animal you took pictures of was really Peyton, one of the younger wolves. That's why he wasn't sure what to do when you saw him."

"And Paul, and Collin?"

"Both have been for a couple years, Paul was one of the first of this pack, that's why he's still in school. Lost a lot of time fighting vampires."

"Damn."

"Yeah. There's that. Then there's this thing called imprinting..."

xXx

With Onyx to back me up, I walked boldly up to Paul's door, rapping loudly. Ava answered and greeted me fondly despite the scowl on my face.

"I need to talk to Paul."

She nodded, suddenly serious.

"He's in his room. He's been sleeping awhile, it's time for him to get up anyway." She held the door open, stepping aside for us to go in. I walked past her, going through to Paul's room. Everything looked somewhat like I remembered it from when I was a kid. Paul's room was the same, I noted as I crossed the floor to sit on the edge of his bed. No matter how cross I am that he wouldn't tell me about this, I didn't want him to be in a bad mood when I woke him up. I shook his shoulder.

"Paul, wake up." He stirred but didn't open his eyes. "Get your ass out of bed." He blinked a few times before his eyes focused on me, trying to figure out why I was there.

"Dae, what are you doing here?" He rasped, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm here so you can prove to me that you can turn into the giant wolf like the one I saw in the woods." He raised his eyebrows, looking at Onyx.

"You followed through."

"I did. I always do." I look back at her, surprised at the coolness of her voice.

"Show me, Paul." I pulled the sheet off of him, grabbing his arm to drag up up and outside. He grunted, glaring at Onyx as he walked out with me.

"You really want to see?" He challenged. I nodded. "You gonna freak out and ignore me when you know?"

"Why would you care? You ignore me anyway." I wanted to add 'until I fall asleep,' but I didn't want to let him know I knew how he held me and played with my hair on Sunday night. "Hurry up, I don't want to be late for school." He rolled his eyes, going just inside the line of the woods. He peeled off his shirt.

"The clothes don't fit the wolf so they just kinda-" he made an explosion gesture. I nodded, placing my hands on my hips. It's not like I've never seen a naked man before, and I don't want him trying to pull anything. He seemed uneasy, furrowing his brows at my continued gaze. I notice Onyx didn't follow us out. He pulled off his shorts, and I kept my eyes at his chest level so I wouldn't blush or anything embarrassing. He rolled his shoulders, and the next thing I saw was a giant wolf, bigger than the one I'd seen before.

"Paul?" I hesitantly step closer, feeling the soft fur at his neck. The wolf nodded its massive head. He lay down and I resisted the urge to climb onto his back.

"Kay. Well-I guess I believe you now." He snorted.

I ran my fingers over his nose, loving the way those expressive eyes conveyed his caution. He really doesn't want to scare me.

"You know, I've never really been a dog person. But wolves... Wolves I could be down with. Wolves are kinda cool." His face took on a sort of grin, and I smiled back at him. He nudged me backwards with his nose and I frowned.

"Aw, you're not going to chance back already, are you? I like you better as a wolf." He snorted again, stepping back and phasing. He pulled on his shorts while staring at me, evaluating my overall reaction.

"So you're not afraid?"

"Should I be? You didn't hurt me, and you can control it." He rolled his shoulders again, tilting his head to the side.

"No, there really isn't a reason to be. You're actually more safe than most people with me around."

"And that's because of the imprinting thing?" He stopped, looking at me closely.

"How did Onyx explain that? I don't think her view is very clear."

"She said the guy feels it when he looks into her eyes, and she becomes his center of gravity, he's here to protect and take care of her. Like soul mates or something."

"Yeah pretty much." He sighed heavily.

"And you imprinted on me." I ask. He nods. "Which is why you can't leave me alone." He nods again. "You're fighting it though, trying to forget about me."

"Yeah, I am."

"Why?"

"Don't think I have an issue with you, because really, I don't. I have an issue with my life being decided for me." He huffed and sat down. "I'm already tied to the res with this wolf thing. But now even my girl is chosen for me. My life is set out and I don't want to submit to that." He sat for another minute while I pondered his words. Then abruptly, he rose, looking me over.

"You ready for school? Because if you drive you'll be late." I glanced at my wrist, tapping it when I realized I wasn't wearing a watch.

"I need to grab my bag."

"Get it quick, then come back here." I frowned, wondering how he intends to get me there so fast, since we only have 10 minutes before class starts.

Onyx was already gone, so I assume she is at school now. I slung my bag over my shoulder and ran back to Paul.

I stopped short when I caught sight of him, forcing myself to keep walking.

"What the fuck?! Why are you naked again?" He chuckled.

"Get on my back and hold on tight. Don't let go, got it?" I nodded and he phased back into wolf form. He knelt down and I clambered into his back, sliding myself up to his shoulders, grabbing at his fur. He turned back to look at me and conveyed somehow that holding his fur wasn't going to cut it. I leaned down and wrapped myself firmly around his neck. He nodded, taking off towards the school at a steadily growing pace. Pretty soon, we were at what I can only hope is top speed. It only took 6 minutes to get there, a trip that driving takes 10 or 15. He stopped as lowered himself so I could get down. I stood on shaky legs while he phased and got dressed.

"You okay?" He asked. I nodded.

"Do you always run that fast?" I ask him breathlessly. He smirks, twisting to crack his back.

"Usually faster. But I didn't want to lose my precious cargo." I manage a smile as I take a hesitant few steps.

"It's like getting off a roller coaster and getting used to steady ground again. Lucky for you, I love roller coasters." He grins at me, offering his arm to steady me.

"It's pretty fantastic when you're actually running."

We entered the school, getting a few odd looks as we went through the halls still linked together. He dropped me off at my first class, just as the bell rang. He rolled his eyes and brushed me off when I apologized, striding away quickly towards his class.

The rest of the day, Paul avoided me. I'm starting to get extremely irritated at the constant mood swings, but at least now I know why. I found Onyx at lunch and we chatted while both casting glances at the wolves' table where they were noisily arguing about the importance of shampoo vs 2-in-1 for men.

When school was over and I walked home, I found Billy sitting in my living room, talking with Jay. He greeted me cautiously.

"Your friend Onyx spoke to me. She was adamant that you be informed about the shapeshifters." Billy began seriously. I nodded, glancing over to Uncle Jay, since I didn't know he was aware of the wolves.

"She explained it to me, and Paul was kind enough to grace me with his presence." I couldn't help the sarcasm leaking into my tone when I mentioned Paul. It wasn't lost on Billy.

"Has he been better lately? Sam was telling me about the situation."

"Not really better, just the same. He'll be attentive and nice and then he ignores me. I understand what's going on now, though."

"And that would be?"

"He can't stay away because of the imprint bond. So, when he leaves me for whatever, he resolves himself again to avoid me and try to break it or something. I don't know how long he plans to keep it up, but it's getting annoying and the rest of the wolves are about ready to puke." Jay laughed from his chair, nodding.

"That boy has a good heart, but he hates being told what to do."

I agree, looking back to Billy to see what he thinks.

"I'll have Sam talk to him again. He can't resist you for long, though. The bond is unbreakable. Emily is preparing a meal for the wolves and their imprints tomorrow evening, she asked me to invite you." He tells me. I nod.

"I'll think about it."

I would like to see Emily, but if Paul's going to be there, I don't know if that would improve or wreck the experience.

Maybe I'll go to yell at him... Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.

xXx

"Emily, why did you not save me a seat?" I said quietly through my teeth.

"I did, Dae, it's right there." She pointed innocently.

"Then why did you have to put me right next to Paul?" I hissed.

She looked amused.

"Why, do you not like him?"

"No! I don't like him! Nobody likes him! He's an asshole!"

"Aw that's not true, I like him." I give her a look. "Sometimes." She conceded as we both laughed.

"See? Plus he's a pig and has long arms which means big elbows which means extra space which means less space for me." I demonstrated my point by stretching me elbows out across her chest and mimed eating like Paul. She laughed.

"Okay, I'm sorry, you're new and I figured I would put you next to somebody you knew. I kinda hoped you guys would have worked something out by now."

"Whatever, I'll just hit him every time his elbows get in my way."

She laughed and patted me on the back encouragingly. I went to sit next to Paul.

"I'm warning you now, elbows stay to yourself or I'll smack you."

He laughed, playfully reaching across me to grab the salt, his elbow right in front of my face. I tipped my head forward to eye him.

"You think I'm joking?" I say seriously.

"I think it would be hard for you to hurt me." He shot back. I caught his smirk before he turned back to his plate. I reached out behind him, smacking him hard upside the head.

"Ow!" I grinned as I turned back sweetly to my own food.

"I warned you."

Brady snickered from his place and Aliyah full-out laughed.

"There you go, that's how you get them to behave!" She laughed, giving me a nod of approval. I glanced in Paul's direction, seeing his irritated glare.

"Elbows to yourself, Lahote, or it won't be the last."

Honestly, it was mostly that I caught him off-guard rather than actually hurting him, but the humiliation was punishment enough, and he kept his arms just within the borders of polite.

After dinner, Em and Kim cleared the table and washed the dishes while the rest of the wolves and their respective girls piled on top of each other in the living room. Here, there's no concept of personal space, and I'm sure the Fire Marshall would have a serious issue with the amount of bodies packed into the small room. I was passing Paul on my way to a corner occupied by Collin. He's nice and quiet, he won't bother me. But I squeaked as Paul's arm snaked around my waist, pulling me backwards and into his lap.

"What are you doing?" I ask him, aggravated. He smirks.

"We pair up the imprints now, and you're mine."

I think it must be leftover from hanging out with Onyx so much, but I slap his hands away, shoving myself off his lap to my feet.

"Excuse me?"

"You're my imprint, you stay with me."

"I will not stay with a jerk that treats me like a princess one minute, a slut the next and untouchable after that." I scowl at him, angry now.

"I already apologized for that."

"Yeah, for your initial shitty behavior. But now you have a whole new round to apologize for."

"Well, excuse me for being new at this whole soulmate thing."

"Well, excuse me for being mad that the fates chose a man-whore to be my soulmate! That's why it's such a shock to your system to switch from fucking the La Push female population to just hanging out with one plain boring girl!" I shout back. The whole room is watching now, a couple of the wolves shifting closer to Paul to restrain him if needed.

But I wasn't really paying attention to them.

"Sorry for not being perfect, little miss I'm-too-good-for-the-men-of-this-earth."

"Sue me for not trusting men after being a rape-result kid and being raped in an alley. Twice!" I yelled back.

The wolves already know this, but I guess one of the girls hadn't heard, judging by the gasp from the other side of the room.

Between my insults and the reminder of harm come to me, Paul is vibrating and red in the face.

"Yeah, and after all that, after vowing to myself to never put myself in a position that it could possibly happen again, I get imprinted on by a bastard that turns into a fucking wolf the size of a horse when he's not busy fucking anything with a pulse! As if I haven't been through hell enough, as if I'm not in enough danger as is!"

Paul's hurt at the accusation and he storms out, plowing through the rest of the pack and nearly knocking the door off its hinges.

Serves him right, entitled man-whore.

I took a deep breath, not meeting the eyes of any of the other wolves or imprints, settling myself down with Collin and burying my head in my knees. I like Collin, and I feel like he's my ally in all this. He rubs my shoulders comfortingly.

"Hey, I'm really sorry that happened to you. Paul seems like he's just the icing on the cake, huh?" He says gently. I nod, my anger beginning to dissipate as I take several calming breaths.

"He's not a bad guy though, he really isn't." He tells me. I look up to see if he's being serious with me. He sighs. "He hasn't told you about Ken, has he?" I shake my head. Ken? Zoe's brother? I'd much rather be his imprint.

"When he calms down, ask him. It explains a lot about how he is now."

I nod, leaning my head on his shoulder. I feel like there's some kind of proxy-bond, since he's my best friend's imprint.

"I've been talking to Onyx, by the way." I mention. He looks at me, suddenly anxious.

"What did she say?" He prods when I pause.

"She's scared. And hurt. She's scared about what a werewolf can mean – I mean she's met Emily. And she thinks you didn't have a choice loving her, that since the fates picked her, you only feel the imprint bond instead of liking her for who she is. You know how important that is to her."

He nods, sinking down farther into the wall. I feel bad for him, just being deserted by his imprint when really, he's been a wonderful boyfriend and they'd been very happy together.

"You need to go see her. It's easy to not pick up the phone, but it's pretty hard to resist this face when it shows up on your doorstep." I tell him, patting his cheek encouragingly.

"I don't want to force her into anything."

"Would you rather have things stay like this?"

"Okay, I'll go see her tomorrow. You need to talk to Paul. He's mad, yeah, but he's really been beating himself up lately. He's low right now. Doesn't excuse him, but there's that."

"He needs to stop forcing me onto him, you guys could stand swapping tips, honestly." I end with a humorless laugh.

"He really doesn't know any other way to act. He's an ass, but he's literally just an idiot that doesn't know what to do with his feelings." He tells me, giving me a little shove in the direction of the door. "He probably isn't far. Go talk to him, work this out – the drama is exhausting all of us, especially whoever's unlucky enough to be on patrol with him." He laughed. I smiled wryly, standing up and going outside.


	13. Chapter 13

**Another chapter of this one, I'm really excited for the next bit - there's a fun surprise coming in the next few chapters!**

The sun was setting behind the rooftops as I walked outside. Paul was sitting near the stop sign at the end of the road, his arms folded over his knees. I sat down next to him, not saying anything. There was silence for a few seconds as we watched the sun set.

"I wanted you to give me a chance." He says finally.

I glanced at him. He was still staring straight ahead.

"You haven't given me one. You closed me out and snapped at me. I'm not sure what to do."

"You're the one the fates picked out for me. That bothers me, that it takes away my choice. We're not soul mates, we're cellmates. We can't escape this or each other."

"You wouldn't have chosen me." I cocked one eyebrow slightly. This didn't offend me so much as it annoyed me. I'm not sexy like the girls Paul usually chooses. I'm quiet, plain, and boring. I'm no fun in bed and I don't put out after the first date.

"Probably not." He laughed mirthlessly probably thinking back to previous dates with heartless bitches ready only for a good time, or the clueless, physically gifted girls too dumb to know what banged them. "But maybe I would. I don't know, and now I don't even want to think about that."

"I wouldn't have chosen you, and my choice was taken from me too." I wouldn't have chosen him, he was too much like the men I despise. A man-whore. Regardless of the fun we have talking, he's done things to girls that he won't even talk about.

"I know." He must have come to the same conclusion about himself in his mind that I did. "I hate it. I hate that I can't be in control of my life anymore. I have no options. It's not romantic and sweet like everyone makes it out to be. I'm talking about Seth and Zoe." We both cringed, the reference to our disgustingly sappy friends breaking some of the tension. It's quiet for a few seconds before I speak again.

"We have to learn to love each other. I can't live without you any more than you can live without me."

"I guess we're stuck together." He sighed. "You wanna be friends, then, and see if we can make it work?"

"Why not? Friends first." I put out my fist, and Paul rolled his eyes and he put his knuckles against mine.

"For the record, though, I'm not as bad of a man-whore the school makes me out to be. And it's always fully consensual."

"Mhm, well I guess I should give you the benefit of the doubt, you are the only one to know first-hand how many girls you've slept with..."

"Exactly, I'd know better than anyone."

"According to Onyx, half of the girls claim to have… had relations with you for the popularity of it alone..."

"Doesn't surprise me, I take only the very best."

I leaned back on my hands and raised my eyebrow at him in a smirk.

"I'm sure it's a great honor to share your bed."

"You doubt me?"

"I don't doubt you, I just don't actively believe you."

"Yeah, there's a huge difference there..."

"Right? Thanks for understanding."

"I wonder..." He trailed off and I looked at him expectantly. "I wonder if we would even make a good couple."

"Together I think we would be pretty formidable. But also, we'd probably kill each other."

"Huh, I think so too. Okay," he clapped and rubbed his hands together. "Collin was right, I may not like this situation but I do like you in general, so I'm just gonna make the most of this." He stood, offering his hand to pull me up. As we walk towards the door, I smirk, looking down at the hand that he still hasn't released. His lips lift in return as he raised my knuckles to his lips. I chuckle at his expression of seriousness as he does so.

We rejoin the pack in the stuffy living room, Jake and Brady cocking their eyebrows as I led Paul in by the hand. I smiled at them, letting them know we worked it out. I noticed that Collin wasn't in the room anymore, and I can only hope that he's at Onyx's house right now talking to her.

xXx

(COLLIN'S POV)

Dae told me why Onyx is upset at me, and honestly I get it. The way I explained things to her was probably the worst possible way to word it.

I found myself at her house, walking up the stairs from the beach. My heart raced in my chest as I thought about what I would say to her, and how long I should try before I let her go.

I was shocked when the door opened before I even knocked.

Onyx was there, face completely unreadable and fully clothed in sweatpants and a big tshirt.

"I'll listen to you now." Was all she said, sitting down at one of the small tables on her porch. I sat across from her, looking into her eyes cautiously. I took a deep breath.

"I understand why you're upset and hurt, I'm sorry about how I explained it, I really didn't do a good job." I started out, and she seemed to relax a little, so I continued. "My job as a part of the shapeshifter pack is to protect the humans on the res, which includes you. I've never killed one, but if it came down to it, I would. That's my job. Paul explained to you how we know the good vampires from the bad vampires. If they have yellow, brown or gold eyes, we just have a talk with them and let them go. Red or black eyes, they're here for one thing only, human blood. We can't let innocent people be drained."

Onyx nodded slightly, messing with the ties on her sweatpants. I move on.

"About the imprint thing..." I began. I have to tread lightly here. By now, Onyx may be cool with the wolves, but what I say next will determine whether or not she's cool with me. "I imprinted on you. That doesn't mean that I fell in love with you because of the imprint. Imprints... attach you to the person, but they don't make you fall in love. The person does. Look at Dae and Paul, they can't stand each other but they can't ignore each other. The imprint doesn't force him to love her, it makes him protect her no matter what. She makes him love her." I tell her, placing my hand on the table, palm up. I pray she takes it.

"I love you with or without the imprint, Onyx. You're smart, witty, strong, independent and beautiful, how could I not love you? I just thank my lucky star that I have such an amazing person in my life." I finish.

Onyx looks up at me, and the tiniest of smiles is on her lips. I smile fully back, finally hopeful. She puts her hand in mine and gives it a squeeze.

"Thanks for telling me." She whispers, standing up. "Wanna come inside?"

**In this chapter, we finally have some resolution! I had more planned for Onyx and Collin, but didn't want this chapter to get too long. Keep a heads up for the next chapter, though, I have some fun plans... Definitely leave me a review with your thoughts on this, and check out the poll on my profile! I'm making some decisions about the next project I'll work on and I want your input on it!  
**


	14. Chapter 14

The next day at school, Paul sauntered up to me, greeting me with a grin. Oh boy.

"So, as one friend to another, would you like me to take you to the Port Angeles bookstore? The library here sucks major butt, you must admit." Paul said as he took my books from my hand and walked me to my next class.

His offer momentarily surprises me in its thoughtfulness, and I think about it.

"Hidden agenda?" I raised my eyebrow at him, and he grinned back.

"Not one you don't know about."

I roll my eyes. Operation: 'Get Dae to Fall in Love with Me' is no secret to me or anyone else on the rez.

"Okay, when?"

"Thursday afternoon?" He suggests, handing me my planner from the top of my stack so I can check if I'm free. I pulled the pencil from behind my ear, poking my lip with the eraser as I glanced over my schedule.

"That should work, right after school?"

"Sure, we can just head out right away and find some crappy diner to get food at along the way."

"Paul Lahote, that sounds like a second date." I smirk, my smile betraying my answer. He grins at me as he thrusts my books back at me to go to his own class before he's late.

"Call it whatever you want to, darling." He winks and walks away. I bite my lip as I take my seat. His plan might just work on me.

XxxxX

"What's up, beautiful?" I looked over at the dark-lined eyes of the guy standing next to me and frowned.

I turned back, hoping he understood that I'm not interested. He let out a low whistle as he looked me up and down.

"Whenever you want to have a good time..." he took my hand and pressed a slip of paper into my palm. "This is me." I rolled my eyes before turning back around to face him. I looked him in the eyes as I ripped up the paper without so much as a glance at the number, putting the shreds back into his hand before walking over to Paul. His face was red from suppressed laughter. We watched the dude flip me off as he walked away.

"Wow. You shut him down faster than you shut me down."

"I hate bad boys."

"And this-" He gestured to himself, "doesn't scream bad boy?" I shrug. He was clothed for a change, wearing dark jeans, black sneakers and a long sleeve black tshirt that hugged him in all the right places. I licked my lips before responding.

"It's hard to resist a bad boy who's a good man. Could you get that book for me please?" He seems to appreciate my comment as he looks up to where I was pointing.

"What? You seriously want to read THAT? Dae, you're such a nerd!" He snorted looking at me mockingly.

I'm not known for keeping my temper, and I have no regrets for shoving him backwards onto the table. He was so surprised that he just lay there, flat on the wood surface piled high with my books.

"What did you call me?" I hissed.

He swallowed visibly as I got right up to his face, looking at him as menacingly as I could manage without feeling ridiculous.

"I-I... Dae..." He stammered and I realized after a second that it was more proximity than anything else that had him speechless. I decided on a fitting punishment. Although he would probably like it which means he wouldn't stop... But I can't resist the opportunity.

"That wasn't a very nice thing to say, Paul." I told him as smoothly as I was able without busting out laughing at the heady cadence my voice took on. His breathing became shallow and caught in his throat as I rested one hand on his waist, letting my fingers sit on his skin just under the hemline of his tshirt. I brought my lips to his ear, murmuring, "You should apologize." My thumb slipped just inside the waistband of his underwear, and I tugged on it lightly. His pupils dilated and I smiled at my success, knowing he would be very hot and bothered when I step back.

"I'm waiting, Paul."

He half-spoke, half-groaned out an "I'm sorry, Dae." I gave his hair one last comb through and pulled away, going to find a stool to get the book myself. I heard his grunt of frustration and when I came back to put the book with the rest of mine, he was still laying on the table, eyes shut, brow furrowed. I chuckled.

"You're too easy, Paul."

"Be quiet, sexy woman, I'm busy thinking of old band aids and crocs." I laugh and his eyes find mine as he growled, "You're an awful person."

I smiled angelically. "I know."

I paid for my books and we left the store, heading to that crappy diner he promised me.

"So, you read the Warrior Cats stories?" He began to tease me as we sat down across from each other. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, if you must know, my mom's best friend's little daughter from Michigan reads them, and whenever she's lonely, she facetimes me and we talk about the stories together. She doesn't know I hate them, and she never will. She's 11." I tell him, and he smiles.

"Awwwww, that's so cute!"

I roll my eyes. Then a thought occurs to me.

"Wait, how do you know what the books are about unless you've researched, or worse, read them yourself?" I prod, my grin widening. Paul won't meet my eyes now. I start laughing. "Paul Lahote! You've read them, haven't you!"

"Okay, okay. I've read them." He tells me, but doesn't elaborate, so I continue to pester him.

"And hold on, if I'm remembering correctly, you'd read that garbage from the library too, what was it? Shadows of the Moon?" I teased, grinning up at his blank face. He sighed, and the mood of our conversation shifted, I felt myself grow serious.

"I don't really want to talk about it." He told me, softly. I looked into his eyes right as a tear leaked out. I frowned. Paul crying? This behavior doesn't fit into what I know about him. What's happening?

"Okay, that's fine. We don't have to talk about it." I told him, thinking back to the only other time I've seen him this serious, back when he mentioned his friend that had died.

We sat in silence until our food arrived, me messing with my fingernails and Paul fiddling with his straw wrapper.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to like... totally kill the banter," he smiled weakly, pouring corn syrup over his Styrofoam pancakes, glancing up at me for a second. I smiled.

"No, it's okay, we don't have to talk about that anymore. I promise I won't bring it up again." I say, raising my right hand for a scout's salute. He rolls his eyes, smiling for real now. "But we do have to talk about what we're doing when you come over to my house tomorrow after school." I say, my heart beating a little faster as I invite him on a date for a change.

Paul's eyes lit up and his smile got wider.

"Yeah that's a good question. I'm thinking we do some bondage, maybe a little rope play..." He winked at me. I rolled my eyes, but felt myself blush hotly.

xXx

{PAUL'S POV}

I opened my eyes when my phone buzzed, jolting me from my pleasant dreamless sleep. I catch a few hours whenever I can, since patrol keeps me out late often. I had crashed right after Dae and I had gotten back from the bookstore, falling asleep to the memory of her hands touching my skin. I squinted at the screen as my eyes adjusted to the light. My phone clock read 8pm, which meant I had a few hours before I had to head back out to patrol. I opened the new text.

Unknown number: Hey, this is dae, got your # from Jay.

Well how about that, saves me the trouble of convincing her why she should give it to me, I guess. I shudder deliciously as I remember her hands on me – inside my _pants_ – and in my hair. I had needed to take several minutes to get my breathing normal again after that, and even then, my pants felt too tight. I rolled over, groaning as I imagine her hands continuing closer to where I wanted them. I felt my hips thrust against my mattress without my permission. The imprint has left me even more hot and bothered than I would be normally, so it's safe to say that I'm hornier than I've been in awhile. That plus the fact that I've been celibate since I imprinted on her, which is already longer than I'd gone without sex since my balls dropped.

Fuck, this is bad…

My phone buzzed again.

Unknown number: what color are my eyes

Unknown number: ?

Me: ummm...

Dae: u embarrassed because you don't know ?

I can just see her smirk.

Me: no. Embarrassed because I do know

Dae: how is that embarrassing

Me. Reasons

Dae: fine.

Dae: what color are they

Me: dark blue

Dae: how is that embarrassing

Dae: i'm kinda ur gf

I won't lie, her calling herself my kinda girlfriend, kinda gave me a little thrill.

Me: dark blue w copper dots on the inner ring; the outer ring is streaked with inigdo

Me: *indigo

Me: they look blue green in firelight

Me: I can and have drawn them from memory

Me: remember

Me: jerk

Dae: ;)

Dae: dont me, i will steal ur dae shrine again

Dae: show it off at school

Me: its not a shrine!

Dae: mhm sure

Dae: tell that to Seth n Embry

I rolled my eyes, but I had a big grin plastered on my face.

I fought hard. I tried every way. But I wasn't strong enough. This clever sarcastic pain in the butt has trapped me.


	15. Chapter 15

**Finally, Collin and Onyx are back together! In case you hadn't noticed, I just changed this story's rating from T to M soooo... the next few chapters will be a little more hot, but I'm still keeping this story pretty tame. If you'd like to read something more explicit, you may like my new story Sweet Babygirl, I'm working on chapter 3 for that one and it should be up soon! In the meantime, enjoy this chapter! **

It had been so long since Collin and I sat and ate pizza, so I ordered one while Collin sat quietly on my couch, staring at his hands. I put my phone down, sitting next to him - close enough that we could have a conversation, but far enough that he'd have to go out of his way to touch me. Ease back into it, Onyx.

"Hi." I say with a tiny smile. He looks up at me, his face full of longing and confusion.

"Hey."

"So..." I start, starting to wonder if this whole evening was going to be this awkward. I know the guys call him the awkward monkey, but he's usually not this uncomfortable around me.

"Thank you for listening." He started, interrupting my thought. I looked at him sadly. If only I'd listened sooner... "I mean, I was starting to think I'd never... that we were really done. Over."

"From what I hear, that wouldn't really be possible for either of us." I shrug.

"Yeah, but like, you could've just kept me out permanently, we'd still be in close enough proximity that we probably wouldn't die or go crazy."

"I was starting to go crazy, I've really missed you." I tell him honestly, moving closer to him. His eyes moved to where our thighs were a few inches from each other, then looked back to my face.

"You did?" He whispered. I nodded, both of us moving closer simultaneously. "I've missed you like crazy."

It was just natural for him to pull me into a tight embrace, his warmth spreading through me. My cheek rested on his shoulder, lips against his neck. His nose was buried somewhere in my hair, his breath tickling my ear with each small sigh. His arms held me tight against his chest, and I was practically in his lap, my legs draped over his.

I pressed my lips to his neck, pulling back slightly. He released me, but kept his hands on my arms. We stared into each others' eyes, his big green ones full of emotion.

"I want you." I told him, feeling his palms grow warmer as he thought about it.

"I want you." He repeated back to me hoarsely, adding, "so fucking bad."

He pulled me close again, his lips going to my neck to press wet kisses to my skin, hands moving up under my shirt to feel my lower back.

"Is this okay?" He asked, a whisper of a kiss against my ear. I sighed deeply, instinctively pressing my chest into him, which made him moan quietly.

"Yes."

I pulled back again, although my entire body screamed at me to stay pressed against his hot, sexy body. I looked into his lust-filled eyes, sure that mine mirrored the feeling.

"We're just getting to second base tonight." I warn him.

"More than I dared to hope for already." He sighed, watching my movements and adjusting himself.

I pulled my shirt off, my top half now naked since of course I wasn't wearing a bra. I bit my lip, signalling for him to take his off as well.

I've seen him shirtless many times, but every time is still a pleasant surprise. He reached behind his neck to pull his tshirt off, and my eyes wandered over his chest. His tan skin and defined muscles get me horny every time, and I couldn't help but run my hands over his pecs, pausing to brush my thumb over his hard nipples. He seemed to like the attention and the look in my eyes as I felt him up.

"Fuck, Onyx, come back here." He growled, a smile on his lips as he pulled me against him, putting his hand against the back of my neck to keep me in place while his lips and teeth attacked the other side. I heard myself groan, which made him groan in response, his hand tightening around my waist. My hands roamed his strong back, starting to wander down in the direction of his round, toned ass.

"I've wanted to get my hands on your ass since the first time I saw you playing volleyball." I told him in a quiet, needy voice. Evidently, he liked that thought, judging by the hard length of him below me. My wandering hands grabbed handfuls of his ass. He readjusted the way I was sitting so I straddled his lap, his hands on my ass and lips on mine. My chest was now more or less in his face, so when he pulled away and tilted his chin down, his eyes looked up at me as if to ask my permission. I bit my lip, nodding.

His lips, teeth and tongue were all over my naked chest, nipping, kissing and biting my nipples and any other skin in reach. Collin's hands had ghosted up my sides, thumbs barely brushing my boobs. My breathing was heavy, and I was sure he could hear my heatbeat in my chest. My hands went to his hair, tugging at it, which made him groan against my skin.

Finally, he pulled away.

"We should stop now before we get more into it." He told me, panting. I nodded in agreement, although my body was screaming in need.

"I love you, Collin." I tell him, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to his lips. He grabbed my shoulders to keep me there, his tongue tracing my lips and seeking entrance. Parting my lips to let him in, I find myself leaning my body into him again. My hips rock against his lightly, and he groans, pulling away again.

"Okay for real this time." He smiles, taking deep breaths. I climb off his lap and move away from him, not trusting myself to not jump his bones in my current state.

"Thank you for coming back."

"Thanks for opening the door." He smiled back, taking my hand in his extremely warm one. I gazed into his eyes, seeing all his love for me there and knowing I'm safe with him. Any and all of my hangups flew out the window when he came back, there's no way he doesn't love me.

And I can't not love him.

I'd all but forgotten the pizza I'd ordered when someone rang the doorbell. I looked at Collin, who was already getting up to answer it. I grabbed my tshirt, pulling it back over my head and grabbing my wallet. No doubt my face was flushed and my neck was red, covered in little bite marks. I pulled my hair down to try to cover it, meeting him at the door to pay the guy.

"Pizza?" Collin smiled at me after the door had closed. I smiled back.

"I think it's long overdue. Combo?" I offer, taking the box from him and going to the kitchen.

"Yes please, that sounds perfect."

We ate pizza quietly just like we used to. I could feel things becoming more normal again, relaxing into each others' company. I knew he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, and I hoped he knew the same of me.

"I'm in your life for good." I tell him, making sure he knows what I mean. He beams at me.

"I know. Thank you."

**It's been a while but I'm back and working on a few different stories now! I'm aiming to get at least two more wrapped up this break to bring my open story count down to 5. I'm really excited about the next few chapters I'm posting, I think they'll be really fun! As always, leave me a review to let me know what you think of this chapter/story! I always read them, and they only take a few minutes to write. Don't forget that you don't need an account to leave one!**


	16. Chapter 16

**I've gotten so many messages asking for me to update a bunch of different stories, so here's the first COVID update! I'm working on the others, especially What If and Reality TV. I'm also wrapping up my last year at uni, so if quarantine is still going when I finish school, ya girl will have plenty of time to do some more updates. **

**Enjoy this chapter, and as always, leave me a review!**

Paul and I have been getting along much better now that everything is out in the open. He still has days where I don't see him at all, even normal places for him to be like the lunchroom, but those days are fewer and further in between.

What's more, his reputation at school has done a complete 180. He went from being the ultimate status lay to being a goofy, likeable person who didn't even glance at other girls no matter how hard they tried – and try they did. I got plenty of dirty looks from slighted past fucks, since I'm apparently the reason he doesn't care about them anymore.

With all of that happening, it's a strange transition for me.

Today, he joined me for lunch, and we sit across from each other at a table outside, soaking up the rare sunlight. I'm reading a novel recommended to me by Onyx, and Paul has earbuds in, drawing in what I affectionately refer to as the Dae shrine. He has stopped denying it recently, which I consider progress.

My leg rests against his under the table, but at a glance, you'd never know we are sort of dating. It's a casual enough position that I doubt anyone even notices.

I glance over at what he's working on, smiling to myself when I see what's clearly my shoulder on his page, judging from the shockingly detailed scar on back of my shoulder. I opened my mouth to tease him about it, but Paul broke the silence.

"Have you even kissed anyone? Like have you had your first kiss?"

I frowned at him, unprepared for that question. I answered honestly, not really knowing what else to say.

"No, are you volunteering?"

He looked like he wanted to laugh at me, but then I remembered something I hadn't thought about in a long time.

"Wait… I guess you were my first kiss." I grinned at him. His mouth dropped open, his turn to be surprised. Then, I could see the memory in his eyes.

"Remember?" I laughed at the memory. "I was almost 8 and you were 9, and it was the end of my last vacation out here. My mom and I were leaving the next day."

Paul groaned, covering his face with his hands.

"So, you grabbed my hand and ran into the forest with me in tow, and when we got there, you had tears in your eyes and told me how much you loved me and how you'd miss me..." I was taunting him now, and his neck took on a shade of red I hadn't seen on him before.

He snorted, shaking his head.

"And I promised I would come back to see you again," I continued. "We hugged, and we were both crying and crying because we didn't know when we would see each other again, if ever." He looks up at me, his expression halfway between mortified and amused.

"Well you kept your promise, I guess."

"Wait, that's not all-" I lit up as the memories flooded back to me.

"Oh no, I hoped you'd forgotten-" Paul mumbled, dropping his head onto the table with a soft thunk.

"Oh yes. Yes yes yes, Paul Lahote, you looked me right in the eye and kissed me." I laughed, and he rolled his eyes.

"Right here." I pointed to the edge of my bottom lip.

"I didn't even get your lips? God, what a loser..." He laughed, still red as a beet.

"9-year old Paul was not nearly as smooth as he thought he was. Little has changed since then." I tease. He rolls his eyes.

"Tell that to the female population of La Push High School." He winked at me, and I can't deny the strange, but not unwelcome feeling it gave me. I move on quickly.

"I think my mom would have killed me if she found out."

"Your uncle almost did kill me."

"Jay knew!?" My mouth dropped open, my uncle had never mentioned having any knowledge of this incident.

"Yeah, he came over to my house after you left and pulled me outside by the ear so Ava wouldn't hear. Gave me a lecture about kissing his little girl." He rubbed his ear in memory. "I was unapologetic, to put it lightly." He laughed.

We looked at each other, laughing at our past selves.

Just when I thought the moment was over and we'd move on, he stood up, grabbing my face and planting a kiss right where he had almost ten years ago. It shocked me, to say the least, and from the look on his face, it wasn't something he'd really thought about either. I felt my face flush. I didn't know what to say or do, so I just sat there, blinking at him.

"I don't know if I really did back then, but I really care about you, Dae. Genuinely," he told me seriously, and when he went to sit back down, I was still speechless.

"Thanks, Paul." I finally mumbled out, the sound of the bell drowning out the sound of my voice, at least to my ears. He heard me though, smiling at me while he collected his stuff.

"Catch you later," he called over his shoulder, tossing his trash into a nearby bin and leaving me in the sun, wondering what this makes us now.

xXx

"Onyx, wait up!" I called, jogging up to a distant figure as she left her house. I'd just gotten off patrol and was just in time to see her leaving her house and walking in the direction of the city.

"Hey Collin, wanna join me? I'm going shopping." She smiled at me, taking my hand.

"Yeah, of course, what stores are you going to?"

"Just the gro-" she paused, an odd look crossing her face. She started to collapse with a groan. Panic immediately filled me.

"What's wrong?" I took her purse and keys from her hands immediately, supporting her weight as she slumped against me.

"Just the grocery store-" she continued shakily, her frame trembling. Her breathing was coming in pants now, and beads of sweat dotted her forehead.

"Onyx, what's going on, what's wrong? Are you having a heart attack or something?" I push, trying to keep my voice calm. She seems to regain her strength, standing back up while I steady her. She shakes her head slightly as if to clear it.

"That was weird, maybe bad period cramps?" Her voice sounded off, and I recalled,

"Onyx, you already had your period last week." I look at her closely, as if I could find the problem written on her face. She looked back at me, then suddenly shoved my hands away and dashed off towards the cliff at the end of her neighborhood.

Fuck, the cliff?

I don't react fast enough, and somehow she's running faster than me, the short distance not enough time for me to catch up.

I'm directly behind her, my fingertips brush the ends of her hair as make one last desperate grab for her before she leaps off the cliff, her body slicing through the waves below and disappearing.

FUCK

I kick off my shoes and leave her purse near them as I jump in after her.

My wet clothes slow me down a lot, but she would also have wet clothes, she shouldn't have been able to get that far from here. The saltwater burns my eyes, and I can't see her anywhere. I come up for air.

"Onyx!" I scream, choking as a wave crashes into my open mouth. "Onyx!" No reply. I dive down again, squinting through the murky water. Where could she have gone? It's not all that deep here, and there are no sharks or anything that could have attacked her, especially not this fast or without leaving any traces. She just... vanished. I came up again.

"Collin!" I heard my name from the shore. With the salt water in my eyes, I couldn't make out the figures on the cliff, but one was wrapped in a towel and I swam frantically and rather relieved to the beach, running up the stairs to the cliff again to make sure she's okay.

"Collin, what's going on?"

It's not her.

Aliyah stood dripping, wrapped in Brady's towel as he tossed my shoes at me and shoved Onyx's keys in her purse. The shoes hit my chest and fall to the ground as I shout.

"Where the fuck is Onyx?"

Aliyah looks shocked.

"Collin, I'm sure she's just-"

"WHERE IS SHE?" I scream, turning to Brady as he steps a little closer to me, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me.

"Hey, pull yourself together. What happened, man?"

I realize they haven't seen her and rip off my shirt before diving back into the water to look again.

xXx

"I don't know, we found him in the water yelling for her." Brady explained.

"He won't tell us anything, when we asked, he just jumped back in and kept yelling for her." Aliyah added, tightening her grip on my arm when I tried again to escape. She, Brady and Sam have me in a tight hold and my many attempts to break free haven't worked.

"Collin, what is going on?" Sam demands, using the revered alpha command to force me to tell him. In a voice that isn't mine, I explain.

"Onyx and I were going to go grocery shopping. She started feeling sick. She ran to the cliff and jumped off, so I jumped in after her. She had no more than a 5 second lead. But she wasn't there, she had disappeared completely. I kept looking but I couldn't find her. And I almost caught her before she jumped… There wasn't enough time for- for anything. Nothing, Sam!" I yelled, my anger a hard mask over my terror.

"Calm down, I'm sure we can find her. She's not one to go down without a fight, and I'm sure there's an explanation. We'll find her." He assured me, and although I was glad to have his help, I couldn't get myself to calm down.

Sam shouted out orders to different groups as wolves and imprints showed up. I was itching for him to let go of me and let me join the search, but he never did.

They didn't let me help, Sam telling me that I'd be more risk to myself than helpful. Although I yelled at him until my voice grew hoarse, he didn't waver. He tasked Jake and Nessie with keeping me back on the beach, and although I tried, I couldn't break free from them. Their dull chatter did nothing to help calm me down, and I sat there, agitated, for hours.

When the sun set, all the wolves and imprints that have been swimming around for hours or searching the area around us came back, tired and upset. When I saw Sam coming behind everyone else, I knew even he had given up. My heart stopped.

"NO!" I shrieked at him, Jake and Ness finally letting me go.

"Where is she? Where is Onyx?" I yelled at him. He just kept walking up the beach, shaking his head.

"She's not out there. We looked everywhere." He tells me sorrowfully.

"That's impossible, she's out there somewhere, she has to be," I tell at him, my tears returning. I leave him there, running back up the cliff to look again.

She has to be out there.


	17. Chapter 17

**Left you guys with a cliffhanger, but the chapter was getting too long so I had to break it up! **

[Onyx's POV]

My lungs fill with water. At first, it's a little strange. Then, it's refreshing. The burn is almost soothing, and before long, it disappears completely. I almost feel myself get lightheaded before the water washes away the fog.

I feel more alive than I've ever felt in my life.

I take a glance behind me when I hear the splash Collin must've made. Of course he's looking for me. There's no way he'll be able to catch up, even though he's strong. My body is designed for the water, and I've been training for years for this moment.

As I look around, I catch a glimpse of my tail for the first time. It's beautiful. I know my parents named me Onyx hoping I'll take after both of their families and have a sleek black tail. But I must've gotten the recessive gene, my tail is a pearly white that rivals the color of the sea foam hundreds of feet above me. It cuts through the water and thrills me as I gain speed and test out my movement.

I send my thanks to Reia, my strictest, but most helpful mentor. As far as we know, her tribe in Africa is the last group of people like me.

My eyes adjust to the darkness as I swim farther down where the light barely reaches. I grab onto some rocks and twist to get a better view of my tail. Touching my fins hesitantly, tracing the scarlet patterns running over the scales. My hand goes to my throat, feeling my new gills. A grin brightens my face. I love it. Feeling renewed and invigorated, I continue with my swim, finding myself far up the coast from where I first jumped in. I swam up to the surface to see if I recognized where I was.

Noting how much darker everything is from when I left, I realized I should probably go back to La Push. I'm starting to feel the fatigue set in, and no doubt there are people wondering where I went. As I hovered near the surface of the water, I stuck my head out, testing whether or not I'd be able to breathe in air while I'm a mermaid. I quickly found that while I could take in air, it felt strange and I got lightheaded pretty quickly. I guess I'm a weak amphibious creature in this form.

Now would be a good time to test if I could change back. I went back underwater, taking a deep breath to slow my heartbeat and concentrate. I could feel the scales melting back into my flesh and my legs separate. I exhaled the water that was in my lungs and went back to the surface to suck in another deep breath, kicking my legs.

I did it. My first transformation and I did it on my own. I laughed. I can do it. My laugh died on my lips when I immediately thought of what Collin would think and how proud he would be of me. Collin. He's probably miserable, freaking out about what happened to me. Concentrating once more, I dive down again, turning towards home and swimming hard to make it before it gets completely dark. I should've realized sooner. How could I have left him without even a word? He'll be so worried. I swam harder, my muscles burning as I push myself to swim faster than before.

xXx

[Collin's POV]

Rain poured down around me, but I can't find the energy to get up and move. Her keys shine in the moonlight where they sit in my hands. I look out towards the ocean which swallowed the girl I wanted to be mine. I curse again. It's dark out and I should go home. But I can't. I look out at the reflection of the moon on the waves.

I catch sight of a white fin breaking the surface, only to vanish again. I didn't know there were fish so close to shore. I guess they must come out at night when it's deserted. The tail reappears, closer this time. I can make out faint traces of red here and there. I wonder what kind it is, it seems too big to be this close to the beach. Again, I see it, it moves slower and slower each time. It was still about 20 feet away from where I sit, so I guess it's plenty deep. I shake my head, there might not even be anything out there. I blink again when I think I see an arm.

An arm?

I look again, standing up and pocketing the precious key. Yes, there it is again, an arm followed by the tail. Thoroughly confused, I took a few steps closer. It was parallel to the shore, just rolling closer. The shoulder of the arm appeared, covered in pale seaweed. No, not seaweed, hair! I dashed forward, splashing closer as the body washed up, still mostly underwater.

I don't know what's going on but the closer I get, the more the body looks like Onyx. When she finally gets close enough, I choke out a sob and wrap her up in my arms. My worst fears are confirmed when my skin feels how cold and unmoving she is. I thought I'd run out of tears but finding her like this opens the floodgates again. I hold her cold body close to me.

"Onyx-" I choke out. All the crying and yelling and saltwater left my voice hoarse and weak.

I pull back to examine her body when I feel a heartbeat still in her chest. "Onyx?" I scream, patting her cheek.

Her eyes open and her chest heaves. I carry her the rest of the way out of the water, placing her carefully onto the beach.

I don't know where the tail came from, but my jaw drops when it changes into her legs. Right before my eyes. Hers open again, arms reaching weakly towards me with a smile on her lips. I start sobbing again as I wrap her body close to me and hold her tight.

"I'm never letting go." I rasp out. She laughs weakly, holding me tighter. I stand, holding her bridal style and carrying her to her house. I can feel her panting and shivering but I don't say anything else. I'm not sure I could.

"Collin?" She asks cautiously. I look down at her as I step onto her porch. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything."

"You're okay?" I ask her. My voice sounds foreign to my own ears. She nods, smiling again.

We go inside and I bring her into her bathroom, putting her down on the side of the tub and starting the water. She sits there, watching me as I grab her a towel and her things from the shower, putting them beside her. I kiss her forehead and turn to the sink to splash some water on my face.

"Collin..." she starts. I turn to look at her. "I'm so sorry. You were really worried." I nod, coming to sit next to her, realizing my shorts are still wet and then realizing that they never actually dried since I dove in this morning. "I'm sorry scared you. I'm fine, really." I raise my eyebrow. "Collin-"

"I thought you died." I interrupted her. She looked shocked. "You were just... gone, nobody could find you. I was so scared. I thought- you were so cold and gone for so long…" I whisper, holding her hand tightly. I'm on the verge of crying again. Her gaze falls from mine but I press her hand to my face, proving to myself that she really is here. "I was so fucking scared." I repeat.

She looks back up at me and I realize what I said. I let out a breathy laugh. "So fucking scared that I was cursing. Ask Brady."

"I should've said something. I'm sorry." She whispers. I nod, frowning.

"A heads up would've been nice. Why didn't you say anything? I had the entire pack and all the imprints looking for you, what if leeches had come then? Nobody was on patrol." My grief from the day was starting to turn into frustration, and I ran my hands through my hair, standing up. "I mean, none of us would've been that shocked or anything, why wouldn't you just say something?" I don't want to be mad, my relief is overwhelming, but this all could've been avoided.

"I'm so sorry, Collin, I... I don't know why I never said anything, it happened so fast. Freaked me out a little bit."

"Tail?" I question, hoping she'll either explain it or confirm that I've gone crazy. She sighed.

"Most of us would've had our first experience around 14 or so, my parents both did, and so did most of the people they know. Nobody knew why I hadn't transformed yet, every year it just seemed like it wasn't going to happen. I'm 18 now, and it didn't even cross my mind that's what was going on."

"Back up, you lost me." I sit back down. "This is a common thing?"

"So, you know the whole spirit warrior thing, and turning into a giant wolf?" I nod. "Well the Quileutes aren't the only tribe that can change into a mythical creature to defend their tribe."

"What tribe are you? I didn't know-"

"My mom's African. You know that."

I nod slowly.

"Her tribe is from a coastal area, and they would fight off invaders in the water before they even had a chance to land. They didn't have a great land-based force, but the way their landscape was set up, they didn't have many invaders from the land, especially since they had all these, mostly true, rumors going around about them transforming into monsters for battle."

"So they're shape shifters."

"Basically; my dad, from Japan, was one of the last of his people to be a shifter, and after quite a bit of research, he found out that my mom's tribe also has shifters. So he went there, met and married her. After they left Africa to come to the states, they became business people, pretty successfully. They made a lot of money, and me, but they weren't around very much. So they asked Reia to come out and they set us up in Washington to go to school and for Reia to prepare me to be a mermaid someday, continue the tradition. I've been in Washington since I was like 12 or 13, but we were in a couple different cities before we found La Push. Here, the beaches are much less crowded than some of the other, more touristy areas my parents originally picked out."

"And Reia is the-"

"African lady mermaid that taught me how to swim and battle underwater. She went home again when I turned 18, she missed her family."

"Understandable. And you've been holding out on me this whole time?" I smile for the first time in hours. She smiles back.

"Are you mad that I didn't tell you?"

"I kept the werewolf thing from you for quite a while, didn't I?"

"Not this long."

"But long enough. I'm not mad. I wish you would've said something before jumping off a cliff and disappearing for several hours," I poke her to show her I'm not upset anymore. "But I think I can forgive that."

"You're a great imprint, have I told you that recently?" She says. I smile.

"No, I don't know that you've ever said that."

"Well, you are. And you're a great guy too."

She moves closer to me so I can hug her, and I'm so many flavors of relieved to have her back in my arms. I encourage her to take her time in the bath, which has warmed up and is now filling the room with steam. In the meantime, I find a towel for myself and go to the kitchen to see if there's any food available.

**Finally some resolution! I'd been dreading editing the previous chapter, this one and the next one since it had been just one giant monster chapter. The next one should be up soon, and I'm working on getting some Dae and Paul storyline back in here. Dae is just a normal human, so their drama is less complicated (or is it), but I miss writing about them. As always, make sure you leave me a comment and let me know what you're feeling about this turn in the plot! **


End file.
